Interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Italian context: prevalence research

Abstract

The current article presents the results of the first comprehensive prevalence study focusing on interpersonal violence against children in the context of sports in Italy. Utilizing a dedicated online questionnaire, our survey encompassed a cohort of over 1.400 adults who had engaged in organized sports activities before reaching the age of 18. The inquiry sought to elicit information regarding their experiences with childhood psychological, physical, and sexual violence within the sporting milieu. The survey outcomes revealed noteworthy statistics, with 30% of all respondents reporting incidents of psychological violence, 18% disclosing experiences of physical violence, 14% reported neglect and 14% indicating encounters with sexual violence during their participation in sports. Some of this data and their discussion has already been included in the Change the Game project’s final research report. These findings can be used as a fundamental foundation for monitoring and assessing current and future protective measures in the context of sports in Italy.