Typologies of co-occurring experiences of interpersonal violence among adults in Norwegian sport

Both research and governing bodies have identified interpersonal violence as a major issue in organized sports. Research from other domains suggests that there are different patterns, or profiles, of interpersonal violence victimization experiences. In the present study, we employed a person-centered approach (i.e. latent profile analysis) on a sample of 1261 adults engaging in organized sports, to assess varying profiles of victimization experiences during the past 12 months. We measured these experiences as sexual violence, physical violence, and psychological violence. Four profiles were identified: (a) no victimization, (b) psychological violence victimization, (c) multiple-victimization and (d) low frequency victimization. Several variables were related to profile membership. For example, women and adults involved in individual sports were more likely to belong to the multiple-victimization and low-frequency profiles. Men and younger adults were more likely to belong to the psychological violence victimization profile. Athletes competing at a higher level were also more likely to belong to the psychological violence victimization profile, in addition to the multiple-victimizations profile. Overall, these findings highlight the heterogeneity of experiences of victimization within sports, which future research must examine further to increase our knowledge of its co-occurrence, outcomes and prevention.