Associations Between Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment by a Coach and Psychological Ill-Being Amongst Gender and Sexual Minority Sport Participants in Finland

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Marja KokkonenUniversity of Jyväskylä

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2018-0035
Keywords:
coaching behaviour; discrimination; heteronormativity; homophobia; sexuality
In Print:
Volume 13: Issue 2
Page Range:
259–273
Restricted access

This study surveyed 155 gender and sexual minority (GSM) sport participants to examine 1) nonverbal and verbal gender-based and sexual harassment by a coach in relation to psychological ill-being, and 2) differences in harassment due to gender and sexual orientation. Self-reported data from 93 females and 62 males was collected anonymously and analyzed using Spearman’s rank-order correlations and cross-tabulation with chi-square tests. Nonverbal and verbal gender-based and sexual harassment by a coach was related to more frequent stress, psychosomatic symptoms and depressive symptoms only in male GSM sport participants. Undermining was related to more frequent depressive symptoms in males. There were no statistically significant gender differences in harassment. As for sexual orientation, there was a statistically significant association between verbal harassment by the coach and sexual orientation. The present findings have scientific, educational and clinical importance for sport psychologists involved in research, coach education and applied work.

Kokkonen is with the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.

Address author correspondence to Marja Kokkonen at Marja.Kokkonen@jyu.fi.
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