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#WhatWouldYouDo? A cross-sectional study of sports medicine physicians assessing their competency in managing harassment and abuse in sports
  1. Margo Mountjoy1,2,
  2. Helena Verhelle3,
  3. Jonathan T Finnoff4,5,
  4. Andrew Murray6,7,
  5. Amanda Paynter8,
  6. Fabio Pigozzi9,10,
  7. Camille Tooth11,12,
  8. Evert Verhagen13,
  9. Tine Vertommen2,3
  1. 1Family Medicine, McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2International Research Network on Violence and Integrity in Sport (IRNOVIS), University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  3. 3Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Mechelen, Belgium
  4. 4Department of Sports Medicine, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
  5. 5University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
  6. 6European Tour Health and Performance Institute, Virginia Water, UK
  7. 7UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, IOC Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
  8. 8Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Waterloo Regional Campus, McMaster University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  9. 9Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
  10. 10Federation Internationale de Medecine Sportive, Lausanne, Switzerland
  11. 11Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital of Liege, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
  12. 12REFORM IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, Liege, Belgium
  13. 13Amsterdam Collaboration on Health and Safety in Sports, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University Medical Centres, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to Margo Mountjoy; mountjm{at}mcmaster.ca

Abstract

Objectives To assess the clinical competence of sports medicine physicians to recognise and report harassment and abuse in sports, and to identify barriers to reporting and the need for safeguarding education.

Methods We implemented a cross-sectional cohort study design recruiting through social media and international sports medicine networks in 2023. The survey captured participant perceptions related to the harmfulness of harassment and abuse. The survey incorporated the reasoned action approach as a theoretical framework to design survey questions to identify attitudes and self-efficacy to detect and report suspicions of harassment and abuse and to identify barriers to reporting.

Results Sports medicine physicians (n=406) from 115 countries completed the survey. The situations of harassment and abuse presented in the survey were described by sports medicine physicians as having occurred in the 12 months before participating in the survey. Despite recognising the situations as harmful, sports medicine physicians were somewhat uncomfortable being vigilant for the signs and symptoms and reporting suspicions and disclosures of harassment and abuse (M=2.13, SD=0.67). In addition, just over one-quarter (n=101, 26.9%) was unaware of where to report harassment and abuse, and over half did not know (n=114, 28.1%), or were uncertain (n=95, 23.4%) of who the safeguarding officer was in their sports organisation. Participants identified many barriers to reporting harassment and abuse, including concerns regarding confidentiality, misdiagnosis, fear of reprisals, time constraints and lack of knowledge. Over half felt insufficiently trained (n=223, 57.6%), and most respondents (n=324, 84.6%) desired more education in the field.

Conclusions Educational programmes to better recognise and report harassment and abuse in sports are needed for sports medicine trainees and practising clinicians. An international safeguarding code for sports medicine physicians should be developed.

  • Violence
  • Athletes
  • Health
  • Sexual harassment
  • Psychology, Sports

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. Data available upon reasonable request.

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Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. Data available upon reasonable request.

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Footnotes

  • X @margo.mountjoy, @Evertverhagen, @TineVertommen

  • Correction notice This article has been corrected since it published Online First. The order of authors has been updated.

  • Contributors MM and TV were responsible for project conception, coordination and survey design, and AP was responsible for the ethics application process and organisation. HV performed the data analysis. MM, HV and TV drafted the manuscript. All authors were involved in informing the final survey design, participant recruitment, interpretation of results and final approval of the manuscript for submission. MM is acting as guarantor.

  • Funding This project was supported by a research grant from the International Olympic Committee.

  • Competing interests MM is a deputy editor of the BJSM and a member of the BJSM IPHP Editorial Board. EV is an associate editor of the BJSM, an associate editor of the BJSM IPHP and editor in chief of BMJ Open Sports and Exercise Medicine. JTF is the training, prevention and rehabilitation section editor for Current Sports Medicine Reports. AM is an associate editor of the BJSM.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.