Differences in adolescent relationship abuse perpetration and gender-inequitable attitudes by sport among male high school athletes

Heather L. McCauley, Maria Catrina D. Jaime, Daniel J. Tancredi, Jay G. Silverman, Michele R. Decker, S. Bryn Austin, Kelley Jones, Elizabeth Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose School-based athletic programs remain an important context for violence prevention efforts although a better understanding of how gender attitudes and abuse perpetration differ among athletes is needed. Methods We analyzed baseline survey data from the "Coaching Boys into Men" study - a school-based cluster-randomized trial in 16 high schools in Northern California. We describe relationships among gender-inequitable attitudes, sport type, and recent adolescent relationship abuse perpetration among a sample of male athletes (n = 1,648). Results Gender-inequitable attitudes (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 3.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.56, 4.15), participation in both high school football and basketball (AOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.37, 3.18), and participation in football only (AOR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.02, 2.22) emerged as independently associated with recent ARA perpetration. Conclusions Findings warrant targeted violence prevention efforts among male high school athletes that incorporate discussions of gender attitudes and healthy relationships, especially among sports teams at greater risk of adolescent relationship abuse perpetration.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)742-744
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Adolescent Health
Volume54
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2014

Keywords

  • Adolescent relationship abuse
  • Gender attitudes
  • High school athletes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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