
Tine VertommenThomas More University of Applied Sciences · Applied Psychology
Tine Vertommen
MA Ethics & MSc Criminology, PhD Medicine and Health Sciences
About
74
Publications
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601
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Introduction
Hi! I'm Tine. I hold a MA in Ethics, a MSc in Criminology and a PhD in Medicine and Health Sciences. I lead the Forensic Psychology research team at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. My research focuses on the prevention of harassment and abuse in sport. I'm also appointed as an expert consultant to the Safe Sport Unit at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC).
Additional affiliations
November 2015 - November 2015
December 2011 - present
April 2010 - October 2015
University Forensic Center
Position
- Criminologist
Publications
Publications (74)
The current article reports on the first large-scale prevalence study on interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Using a dedicated online questionnaire, over 4,000 adults prescreened on having participated in organized sport before the age of 18 were surveyed with respect to their experiences with childhood...
Background
Little is known about athletes’ understanding of safe sport and occurrence of harassment and abuse in elite youth sport.
Objective
To evaluate the IOC Safe Sport educational experience at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires and to ascertain the athletes’ (1) understanding of what constitutes harassment and abuse, (2) perception...
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...
Current knowledge of people who commit child sex offenses (PCSO) in sport contexts is based on descriptive information from cross-sectional self-report studies of survivors and media coverage of court cases. In-depth scientific analyses of characteristics, interpersonal dynamics, and applied theories of sexual offending in sport are largely absent....
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...
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...
Given their central role and position, coaches are instrumental in creating safe sport environments, especially in preventing sexual violence, but little is known about bystander behaviors, hampering the development of effective bystander programs in the context of sport. To identify determining characteristics of bystander behavior, 1,442 Belgian...
Sport, as a microcosm of society, is not immune to
the abuse of its stakeholders. Attention to abuse
in sport has recently become a priority for sport
organisations following several high-profile cases of
athlete abuse from different sports around the world.
Resulting from this increased awareness, many sport
organisations have commenced work in th...
Coaches are instrumental in creating safe sport environments, especially in preventing sexual violence, but little is known about helpful bystander behaviors, hampering effective prevention programs. To identify determining characteristics of positive bystander behavior, 1442 Belgian youth-sport coaches completed a dedicated online questionnaire on...
Little is known about the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in sport in European Union (EU) Member States (MS). The research question underpinning this study was therefore: What is the nature and extent of gender-based violence in sport in the EU? The study involved a scoping exercise that mapped existing research on the incidence and/or pr...
Objective:
To analyze the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2020 athletes' understanding and perceptions of harassment and abuse in sport and their knowledge of reporting mechanisms.
Design:
A cohort study.
Setting:
The Winter YOG2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Participants:
Accredited athletes at the YOG2020.
Intervention:
An athlete safegu...
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...
Interpersonal violence in sport occurs in different forms, from emotional abuse, overtraining, bullying, physical aggression and pressuring to punishment and sexual abuse. Due to the use of different definitions, a comparison of prevalence estimates between studies in different countries has not been possible to date. The aim of the current study w...
To date, the knowledge base on the topic of violence and integrity in sports is limited, the scientific community is relatively small, and the research field is in its infancy. The few researchers have predominantly been working in silos, and, consequently, initial studies have examined this issue with a singular discipline approach. Violence in sp...
“You can reach the top, but only if you trust me”. Victim perspectives on perpetrator
characteristics of child sexual abuse in sport
Driven by the public disclosure of high-profile child sexual abuse cases, political and scientific attention for violence against children in sport has recently increased. Up until today, the evidence base is grounded...
How are the Flemish probation officers doing? A study into work-related
stress, coping styles, well-being and quality of life.
There remains a great paucity of research focusing on the well-being of Flemish probation officers. To address this gap in the literature, we report findings from an online survey in which 200 Flemish probation officers to...
What lessons can Belgium learn from a quarter century of Circles of Sup- port and Accountability (CoSA)? A reflection on the effectiveness and the underlying principles of CoSA.
Sex offenders are upon release usually confronted with suspicion, apprehension, and hostility by the community, including their own social network. Consequently, they often...
Based on the reports of 578 Flemish and Dutch athletes, the current article reports on perpetrator characteristics of childhood sexual violence in sport. Using retrospective web survey design, information was gathered about the number as well as individual descriptive characteristics (sex, age, and role in the sport organization) of sexual perpetra...
Policy on or relating to gender-based violence (GBV) in sport settings has a relatively recent history. This paper traces developments in this area at a European level and within individual EU Member States’ national frameworks. In doing so, it draws on data gathered in 2016 as part of a study commissioned by the European Commission’s Education, Au...
In a recent large-scale prevalence study of interpersonal violence (IV) against child athletes in the Netherlands and Belgium we found that 9% of adult respondents who participated in organized sports before the age of 18 had experienced severe psychological violence, 8% severe physical violence, and 6% severe sexual violence in various sport setti...
Onderzoeksrapport aangaande het bevolkingsonderzoek naar seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de Nederlandse sport en een analyse van de meldingen bij het Vertrouwenspunt Sport van NOC*NSF in de periode 2001-2016.
In deze presentatie stellen we 10 mythes voor omtrent seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de sport: dat gebeurt niet in de/onze sport - alleen meisjes worden slachtoffer - de coach is altijd de pleger...
In deze bundel schrijven overlevers van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de sport hun verhaal.
Introduction
A recent cohort study in the Netherlands and Belgium showed that 38% of children experienced psychological violence, 11% physical violence, and 14% sexual violence in sport (Vertommen et al., 2016). This study aims to explore the long-term consequences on anxiety, depression and somatic complaints in adults who experienced psychologica...
A European status quo on the magnitude, the policy and legal frameworks and best practices in the prevention of gender-based violence in sport. This presentation is based on the EU study on gender-based violence in sport, commissioned by the European Commission and lead by Lut Mergaert, Catarina Arnaut, Tine Vertommen and Melanie Lang
Background
A recent prevalence study in the Netherlands and Belgium showed that 38% of children in sport experienced psychological violence, 11% physical violence, and 14% sexual violence. Ethnic minority, lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) and disabled athletes, and those competing at the international level reported significantly more experiences with in...
The current article reports on perpetrator characteristics gathered in the first large-scale prevalence study on interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Using retrospective web survey design, 4043 adults answered questions on their experiences in youth sport. The study looks at the number of perpetrators as...
Het meemaken van seksueel geweld leidt vaak tot het ontstaan van trau- ma’s of andere psychiatrische stoornissen (Jewkes, Sen & Garcia-Moreno, 2002). Wanneer slachto ers van seksueel geweld beslissen hun verhaal te onthullen, is de manier waarop omstaanders erop reageren van groot belang voor hun welzijn (Campbel, Ahrens, Se , Wasco & Barnes, 2001;...
Na de onthullingen van seksueel kindermisbruik in de Kerk en in de hulpverlening de laatste jaren, wordt terecht de vraag gesteld of ook de sportwereld vatbaar is voor sek-sueel misbruik, en bij uitbreiding, elke vorm van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag. Georganiseerde (top-)sport wordt immers gekenmerkt door asymmetrische en nauwe coach-sporte...
This study provides an overview of the legal and policy frameworks, describes initiatives promoted by sport and civil society organisations, identifies best practice in combatting gender-based violence in sport and makes recommendations for future action.
Due to a lack of studies and methodological difficulties, reliable prevalence and incidence da...
Recent prevalentieonderzoek bij een steekproef van 4.000 Nederlandse en Vlaamse volwassenen toont aan dat 1 op de 7 volwassenen die in kindertijd of jeugd sportten, op z'n minst eenmalig seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag heeft ervaren in de sport. Sinds 2012 maakt de Vlaamse sportwereld werk van de preventie van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedra...
Na de recente onthullingen van seksueel kindermisbruik in de Kerk en in de hulpverlening, wordt terecht de vraag gesteld of ook de sportwereld vatbaar is voor seksueel misbruik, en bij uitbreiding, elke vorm van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag. Georganiseerde (top-) sport wordt immers gekenmerkt door asymmetrische en nauwe coach-sporter relatie...
After the disclosure of a Dutch high profile sexual abuse case in elite sport in 1996, the taboo on sexual violence in sport began to shift and attract public indignation. Since, the Netherlands sports authorities have invested in a comprehensive prevention policy, while Flanders only recently took action. Notwithstanding this difference in stage o...
Sexual offenses are usually defined as behaviour that includes any interaction with person(s) of any age that is perpetrated against the victim’s will, without consent, or in an aggressive, exploitive, manipulative, or threatening manner (Ryan, 2010). While research has been mainly focusing on adult sex offenders, there is increasing attention for...
Previous research shows that women whose partner committed a sex offence, experience stigma. They say their environment blames them for what their partner did (McClaren, 2013). This perceived stigma influences their wellbeing, which might also have an impact on the partner relationship and the disclosure of the offences. This study aims to explore...
Onderzoek in het kader van de Bachelorproef van Sofie Van Hooydonck, studente Toegepaste Psychologie aan de Thomas More hogeschool in Antwerpen
fter the disclosure of a high profile sexual abuse case in elite sport in the Netherlands in 1996, the taboo on abuse in sport began to shift and attract public indignation. Since, the Netherlands sport authorities have invested in a comprehensive prevention policy towards a safer sport environment, while Flanders (the northern part of the federal...
Notwithstanding the difference in prevention policy on child protection in sport between Belgium and the Netherlands, both regions suffer under the lack of reliable prevalence rates on interpersonal violence against children in sport. This presentation reports the first large scaled prevalence study in both countries. In accordance with the UN Conv...
Sexual Violence against Children in Sport
Vertommen, Tine(1), Schipper-van Veldhoven, Nicolette(2), & Van Den Eede, Filip(1)
(1) Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Belgium
(2) Netherlands Olympic Committee and Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSF), the Netherlands;
Tine.Vertommen@uza.be
After the d...
Over the past decade the international agenda on the prevention of child sexual harassment and abuse in sport has been strengthened by a number of general policy recommendations. Despite a growing body of literature and research about sexual harassment and abuse in sport, there is hardly any evidence-based policy and prevention research to guide th...
Na de recente, mediagenieke onthullingen van seksueel misbruik in de Kerk en in de hulpverlening, wordt terecht de vraag gesteld of ook de sportwereld vatbaar is voor grensoverschrijdend gedrag van kinderen. Georganiseerde (top-)sport wordt immers gekenmerkt door asymmetrische en nauwe coach-sporter relaties, de vereiste van lichamelijk contact, ee...
It took the disclosures in 2010 of widespread sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Belgium for pressure to mount to such an extent that sport began to act. Based on little empirical evidence of child maltreatment in sport, Flemish sport authorities developed a broad policy framework addressing unwanted sexual behaviours in sport. This chapter giv...
Whilst other (inter-) national sport governing bodies developed prevention strategies on sexual harassment and abuse in sport in the late 1990s or early 2000s, it was only recently that Flemish authorities took action. In February 2012, the ministers responsible for Sport, Youth, Education and Welfare in Flanders signed a declaration of commitment...
Whilst other (inter-) national sport governing bodies developed prevention strategies on sexual harassment and abuse in sport in the late 1990s or early 2000s, it was only recently Flemish authorities, took action. In February 2012, the Flemish ministers responsible for Sport, Youth, Education and Welfare signed a declaration of commitment on prote...
To examine the predictive value of childhood trauma subtypes on the psychological profiles of 152 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), stepwise regression analyses were conducted with the outcomes of the nine Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) subscales as the dependent and the scores on the five Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC) subscales as...
Whilst other (inter-) national sport governing bodies developed prevention strategies on sexual harassment and abuse in sport in the late 1990s or early 2000s, it was only recently Flemish authorities took action. One of the developed policy instruments is the flag system, an educational tool to assist sport stakeholders in the assessment of sexual...
Following a high profile case of child sexual abuse in sport in 1996, the Netherlands Olympic Committee and the Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSF) established a telephone ‘helpline’ service on sexual harassment and abuse (SHA). In order to expand their understanding of this problem, NOC*NSF maintained written records of incidents reported t...
This paper provides an overview of the research in the field of consultation and liaison psychiatry, conducted at the Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (University of Antwerp). In the past decade, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been the major research topic. Regarding this, we elaborate on the following projects in the first...
The major aims of this study were to quantify the reported prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences involving male coaches among a sample of Flemish female student‐athletes and to investigate the latter's perceptions of the acceptability of related coaching behaviors. A questionnaire based on the research of Volkwein, Schnell, Sherwood, and Livezy...
Projects
Projects (10)
Development, implementation and evaluation of four bystander intervention programs to prevent harassment and abuse in local sport clubs: one educational workshop for young athletes, one educational workshop for youth sport coaches, a webinar for sport parents, and a selfscan+webinar for sport club managers.
Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnership, European Union, 2021-2023
Development, implementation and longitudinal evaluation of a coach-bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence in youth sport clubs.
Violence against children and adults in sport can be regarded as a wicked problem.
It involves many actors with different interests and responsibilities, as well as a diversity of emotions including anger, fear and anxiety.
The complexity of this problem necessitates a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach in order to fully understand how violence is perpetuated and dealt with in sport, both within individual countries and on the international level. While it is reported that up to 44% of children participating in sport are victims of violence, to date, the overall knowledge base on the issue is limited as the scientific community addressing these issues is relatively small, and the research field is in its infancy.
The few researchers addressing this topic have predominantly been working in silos, and, consequently, initial studies have examined this issue with a singular discipline approach.
Violence in sport is a multifaceted issue that has physical, psychological, social and organizational causes and consequences. The current fragmentation of the research efforts in this space limits the possibility of formulating a clear, collaborative and international research agenda.
The International Research Network on Violence and Integrity in Sport (IRNOVIS) brings together the leading and most active researchers from multiple disciplines in the field of violence in sport.
IRNOVIS aims to maximize the scientific impact of research in order to better inform sport policy development and implementation, including advising on ethical governance. Specifically, this research network aims to develop an international research agenda to study violence and integrity in sport. This will be accomplished by producing Position Statements, disseminating research findings and actively engaging in the international public debates on sport integrity and the protection of sport participants and athletes. IRNOVIS activities will be coordinated by the University of Antwerp, and will include yearly network meetings, guest lectures, an international conference, a Delphi study on expert opinion and joint research project applications.