
Sylvie ParentUniversité Laval | ULAVAL · Faculty of Education
Sylvie Parent
Doctor of Philosophy
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62
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Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (62)
The experience of sexual violence (SV) in sport can vary according
to contextual factors such as its form, type of perpetrator,
and frequency of acts that might impact the risk factors and
outcomes of SV. This study aims to explore the heterogeneity of
SV experiences in sport using latent class analysis and to compare
the victimization profiles bas...
Objective Interpersonal violence (IV) in sport is challenging to define, prevent and remedy due to its subjectivity and complexity. The 2024 International Olympic Committee Consensus on Interpersonal Violence and Safeguarding aimed to synthesise evidence on IV and safeguarding in sport, introduce a new conceptual model of IV in sport and offer more...
In this editorial our team provides an overview of how to practically apply principles of trauma and violence informed care (TVIC) into research on interpersonal violence in sport.
While trauma and violence informed care principles have generally been applied with a focus on supporting those with lived experience to engage in research practices, w...
Objective
Our aim was to define the priorities for future research in safeguarding athletes from interpersonal violence (IV) in sport through a Delphi consensus study of researchers in the field.
Methods
An internet-based three-round Delphi method was used as a multistage facilitation technique to arrive at a group consensus (set at ≥75% agreement...
Introduction
Professional and student-athletes are at risk of developing symptoms of eating disorders (ED), including drive for thinness and muscularity due to personal risk factors (e.g., low self-esteem) and sport-specific characteristics (e.g., sport requirements). However, limited studies have focused on ED symptoms among NextGen athletes (iden...
Past studies have highlighted the lack of independent formal complaint mechanisms as one of the most significant barriers to reporting interpersonal violence (IV) in sport. Some countries have since implemented complaint mechanisms specific to sport settings. Evaluations of similar mechanisms in other sectors could inform the development and implem...
Safeguarding athletes from interpersonal violence (IV) in sport is an important topic of concern. Athlete Health and Performance (AHP) team members working with athletes have a professional, ethical, and moral duty to protect the health of athletes, prevent IV, and intervene when it occurs. However, little is known on their respective roles regardi...
With current estimates of up to one in three children experiencing some form of sexual violence in sports, the need for effective measures to prevent sexual violence in sports is high. Survivors’ narratives of sexual violence in sports uncover the lack of (adequate) bystander action and the urgent need for stakeholder education to effectively preve...
https://sims.chaire.ulaval.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/011M_011M_Chaire_de_recherche_Securite_et_integrite_en_milieu_sportif-1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3wdKF9TL5MSerkhcfutJr-DdxLp9kqSm6AWIzSRMnxP9l-nk35b_02K9M_aem_AULhrs78bFlgV_-Kq5T7sEdToqlIsMtUVpgZ8qdTgqQBDj5zGH305-eBv4_cIZKOOVL0P9ftz5v-0kEjXCKxIRj5
Introduction: A growing body of research is looking into risk factors for interpersonal violence (IV) in sport. This research suggests the existence of several important risk factors, especially organizational and social factors. One of these factors is the beliefs regarding instrumental effects of violence. Coaches may want to drive performance, d...
Purpose: This study aimed to explore links between child maltreatment (CM) and experiences of interpersonal violence (IV) in sport among adolescent sport participants. To our knowledge, no studies have yet considered this association. This is surprising given that the literature outside of sport clearly shows that CM is related to revictimization i...
Although officials form an integral part of the sporting world, they are likely to experience abuse during their involvement. Research on abuse toward sport officials has primarily been conducted with adults and elite-level officials. Very little is known about young officials whose experiences may be different yet crucial in developing preventativ...
Objectives: This paper examines family victimization, well-being, and resilience among sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents and emerging adults aged 15 to 29 years. Methods: Self-reported data were collected online (2019-2020) from 1,971 Canadian SGM youths. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of: (a) having experienced family...
Violence in sport is a major social issue generating great interest in research over the last 10 years. Studies to date highlight various forms and manifestations of violence in the lives of teenagers practicing individual or team sports, in competitive and recreational contexts. Although allegations of sexual violence involving coaches most often...
Initiatives to safeguard athletes from interpersonal violence (IV) are rapidly growing. In Belgium, knowledge on the magnitude of IV in sport is based on one retrospective prevalence study from 2016 (n = 2.043 adults), involving those who had participated in organized sport for up to 18 years. Data on victimization rates in current youth sport popu...
Initiatives to safeguard athletes from interpersonal violence (IV) are rapidly growing. In Belgium, the knowledge on the magnitude of IV in sport is based on one retrospective prevalence study from 2016 (n=2.043 adults), who participated in organized sport before 18 years. Data on victimization rates in current youth sport populations are lacking....
Childhood sport participation is associated with physical, social, and mental health benefits, which are more likely to be realized if the sport environment is safe. However, our understanding of children’s experience of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in community sport in Australia is limited. The aims of this study were to provide p...
The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between interpersonal violence (IV) experienced in the context of sport by teenagers and three mental health outcomes: self-esteem, psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. A convenience sample of 1055 French-Canadian athletes between the ages of 14 and...
Some studies report that the sport context increases the risk of exposure to sexual violence for athletes. In contrast, others indicate a protective effect of sport participation against sexual violence, particularly among varsity athletes. Studies of sexual violence towards varsity athletes are limited by their failure to include control groups an...
This study investigated the modus operandi strategies employed by 120 coaches who committed sexual abuse toward 331 athletes under their authority. More than 2,000 Canadian court judgements and media reports were identified using online search databases. Using descriptive analysis, 51 strategies used in six modus operandi stages were identified. Re...
Denunciations of child sexual abuse (CSA) in the sport context have been increasing in the last decades. Studies estimate that between 14 and 29% of athletes have been victim of at least one form of sexual violence in sport before the age of 18. However, studies suggest that many do not disclose their experience of CSA during childhood. This findin...
In research, various reasons have been proposed to be able to understand the occurrence of sexual violence in sport. This article examines the relationships between conformity to the sport ethic norms and sexual violence among young athletes, according to sex and type of sport (individual and team). Athletes (N=1140) from Quebec, Canada aged 13 to...
While the issue of violence against children in sport reached the concern of researchers, policy makers and practitioners worldwide, solid estimations of its prevalence are lacking. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ; Parent et al., 2019), a self-repo...
The use of extreme weight-control behaviours (EWCB) is prevalent among adolescent athletes and may result from individual and sport-specific factors. Weight-related maltreatment from coaches and parents, and conformity to sport ethic norms have recently been linked to the use of EWCB. This study aims to investigate the role of sport ethic norms and...
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological violence by coaches and conformity of athletes to the sport ethic. The objectives of this study are to verify whether the athletes' conformity with sport ethic norms is related to psychological violence by the coach and whether this relationship varies in function of se...
Recent studies demonstrate that interpersonal violence towards athletes (VTA) is a significant problem in some countries. However, in Canada, little scientific evidence on the prevalence of this issue exists. The objective of this study was to describe the magnitude of interpersonal violence towards young Canadian athletes in the context of sport a...
Child maltreatment (CM) and bullying can have many consequences for victims. Although we know it very well now, evidences of the consequences of these experiences in sport are lacking. The limited data that we have address only some aspects of the possible consequences of CM and bullying in sport, such as impacts on somatization, depression, anxiet...
This chapter provides an overview of available data assessing the prevalence of interpersonal violence in sport on an international and a national level. The information is mostly based on estimated figures from retrospective self-report prevalence studies. The majority of these studies focus on sexual harassment and abuse, focus on select victim o...
Various forms of violence against youth are documented in sport. To date, young athletes’ perceptions of violence in sport remain relatively unstudied. The objective of this study was to examine how violence and its various manifestations in sport have been understood by young athletes. In total, 60 athletes from a variety of sports and ages (12 to...
Coker-Cranney et al. (2018) recently stressed the need for the development and validation of a questionnaire that assesses a young athlete’s level of conformity to sport ethic norms. The objective of this study was to develop and begin an initial factor validation of the Conformity to the Sport Ethic Scale (CSES), a scale assessing the conformity o...
Child maltreatment in sport is an undeniable problem.
High-profile cases of sexual abuse of child athletes are
obvious examples of child maltreatment in this context.
Young athletes also face physical and psychological
maltreatment, as well as neglect, although these types
of child maltreatment are understudied in sport and
receive less public atte...
This study sought to develop and validate a questionnaire about violence experienced by children in sport. A convenience sample of 1055 French-Canadian athletes between 14 and 17 years old was recruited to participate in an online study assessing their experiences of interpersonal violence in sport. The Violence Toward Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ)...
The problem of violence against athletes is of growing concern. However, the scientific literature in this field tends to be specific to certain forms of violence and does not always provide a clear portrayal of the problem. To better understand issues concerning violence against athletes in sport and to identify needs in this area of research, we...
Despite progress in recent years on understanding the magnitude of the problem of interpersonal violence against athletes in the sport context, this research area is still very understudied. Yet, many researchers have advocated for the urgent need to carry out prevalence studies in this field to base prevention efforts on empirical evidence and to...
BERGERON, M., HÉBERT, M., RICCI, S., GOYER, M.-F., DUHAMEL, N., KURTZMAN, L., AUCLAIR, I.,
CLENNETT-SIROIS, L., DAIGNEAULT, I., DAMANT, D., DEMERS, S., DION, J., LAVOIE, F., PAQUETTE, G.
et S. PARENT (2016). Violences sexuelles en milieu universitaire au Québec : Rapport de recherche de
l’enquête ESSIMU. Montréal : Université du Québec à Montréal.
Whether in sports training or in physical education contexts, touching is an integral component of the coaches’ tasks. However, recent evidence suggests that touching has become a significant concern for coaches in Canada and elsewhere, maybe due to the increased sensitivity toward child protection discourses. In fact, it appears that some coaches...
Il existe un certain nombre de bienfaits a la pratique d’activites physiques et sportives. Malheureusement, de moins en moins de jeunes semblent pratiquer un sport et parmi ceux-ci, plusieurs abandonnent. Au Quebec, l’athletisme n’echappe pas a ce phenomene. En effet, la Federation quebecoise d’athletisme observe une diminution du nombre de partici...
This is the first study to report the prevalence of sexual violence perpetrated by a sport coach within a representative sample of the general population of adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years (N = 6,450). The questionnaire administered in high schools includes self-reported measures on a variety of dimensions relevant to the study of victimiz...
Sport is often perceived as healthy and safe. However, research has demonstrated that problems involving sexual, psychological, and physical abuse exist in this context and that very few protection measures are available in sport organizations. Quebec’s sport organizations are not an exception. The research project presented here was part of Phase...
In Quebec, over 500,000 young people are involved in organized sport and the majority of these participants are boys. However, despite this high number of young males participating in sport, the issue of sexual abuse among male athletes has been mainly overlooked. Researchers who have studied sexual abuse in the context of sport have primarily focu...
Abrégé : Bien que de nombreux mythes existent à l'effet que le sport est exempt d'abus sexuels, il appert que certains athlètes d'âge mineur sont victimes de ce genre d'abus dans le contexte sportif. Les études ayant porté sur la prévention des abus sexuels ainsi que sur la protection des enfants dans le sport ont fait état de plusieurs problèmes,...
The disclosure of sexual abuse in the world of sports is a process that has not been widely documented. This article presents the results of a document analysis of sport organization policies and interviews conducted with 27 sport stakeholders. The interviews focus on these stakeholders' perceptions of how the disclosure process would unfold if a c...
Several studies clearly show that sexual abuse exists in sport. Currently, very few studies have examined the prevention and management of this problem in sports organisations. This article explores the measures used to prevent sexual abuse in sports organisations as well as the perceptions of the sports actors affected by these measures (parents,...
This paper presents a secondary analysis of supporting documents from the UN Study on Violence against Children. The purpose of the analysis is to identify sport-related material in the documents and gaps in research knowledge about the role of sport in both preventing and facilitating violence against children. This is a complementary document to...
We explore the role of programs for prevention for sexual harassment and abuse in sport in Canada, specifically in the Province of Quebec, by first describing the international sport context of sexual harassment and abuse and then considering the needs of disabled and gay athletes. We have found that there is little scientific literature on sexual...