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Psychological Injury in Pediatric and Adolescent Sports

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Injury in Pediatric and Adolescent Sports

Part of the book series: Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine ((PASM))

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Abstract

In spite of the well-documented health and developmental benefits of sport participation for young people, negative outcomes such as injuries too often characterize children’s and adolescent sport. To-date, far less attention has been devoted to psychological as compared with physical injuries and yet the media are infused with accounts of maltreatment from coaches, parents, and teammates. The purpose of this chapter is to review the research on psychological harm experienced by young athletes in the important relationships within the sport context – namely, those with the coach(es), parent(s), and teammates. Using an athlete-centered perspective, research on harmful parental behaviors, emotionally abusive coaching behaviors, as well as hazing and bullying, will be reviewed with a focus on the psychological injuries caused for the young athlete. Recommendations are made for further research and applied interventions that focus on the cognitive and affective elements of empathy-building.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, 55 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 2W6

    Gretchen Kerr PhD, Ashley Stirling PhD & Ellen MacPherson MSc

Authors
  1. Gretchen Kerr PhD
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  2. Ashley Stirling PhD
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  3. Ellen MacPherson MSc
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Correspondence to Gretchen Kerr PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA

    Dennis Caine

  2. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Laura Purcell

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Kerr, G., Stirling, A., MacPherson, E. (2016). Psychological Injury in Pediatric and Adolescent Sports. In: Caine, D., Purcell, L. (eds) Injury in Pediatric and Adolescent Sports. Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18141-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18141-7_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18140-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18141-7

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