Date of Award:
5-2026
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
Human Development and Family Studies
Committee Chair(s)
Travis E. Dorsch
Committee
Travis E. Dorsch
Committee
Shannon R. Pynn
Committee
Diana J. Meter
Committee
Kay Bradford
Committee
Aryn M. Dotterer
Abstract
Although sport can be a fun and positive environment, it can also be a unique and common setting for athlete abuse. Coaches and other authority figures can serve in positive and negative caregiving roles, and many athletes report experiencing at least one form of abuse perpetrated by these important authorities during their sporting careers. We have less research on experiences of abuse in athletes from the United States. The current dissertation was designed to explore ways to more effectively and accurately define and measure athlete abuse perpetrated by authorities and coaches among adults in the United States. Given that there is a potential for experiencing mental health challenges after facing such conditions, the relation of overall abuse experiences to current symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression was also examined. We cannot accurately identify and track athlete abuse if we are not able to measure it; therefore, this dissertation was designed to inform how researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders define and recognize abusive behaviors in sport.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Alexander, Katherine Nicole, "The Dark Side of Sport: Exploring Conceptualizations and Operationalizations of Authority Figure-Athlete Abuse" (2026). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 725.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/725
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