ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the general and sport-specific literature on the two most common types of abuse in high-level sport—sexual and verbal abuse. It draws on the extensive body of knowledge on parental abuse to define key terms and explain the underlying reasons for the occurrence of abusive behavior. The chapter highlights the potential psychosocial consequences for athletes who are victims of abuse. It suggests future research directions to enhance understanding of the causes, experience, and outcomes of abuse in high-level sport. Emotional abuse occurs when one party engages in a pattern of harmful, but physical contact-free, interactions with another party which cause extreme emotional discomfort. Common settings for emotional abuse include romantic relationships, parent/caregiver-child relationships, and the workplace. Emotional abuse may be even more common in individual sports such as gymnastics, swimming, and figure skating, in which competitors begin training at a young age and spend many hours each day in close contact with their coach.
