<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Bullying is a social problem that has been studied most in schools but affects other social contexts. However, there is a general lack of studies on bullying in sports. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bullying among youth soccer players. Participants were 1,980 soccer players (88.2% boys) aged 8 to 13 years (M<sub>age</sub> = 10.5, SD = 1.68) from 25 clubs in Catalonia, Spain. An ad hoc questionnaire was administered to analyze the prevalence and characteristics of bullying from the perspective of victims, bullies, and bystanders. The overall bullying victimization rate was 8.9%, with higher rates observed in the younger categories (<italic>p</italic> &lt; .001); 5.2% of victims experienced bullying in both their soccer club and at school. The bullying and bystander rates were 14.8% and 34.7%, respectively, with significant differences between boys and girls (15.5% of boys and 9% of girls were bullies [<italic>p</italic> &lt; .05], while 36.4% of boys and 21.9% of girls were bystanders [<italic>p</italic> &lt; .001]). Verbal bullying was the main type of bullying reported. The locker room and pitch were the most common locations, and victims were more likely to deal with bullying on their own than to ask for help. Bullying is present in grassroots soccer, and anti-bullying programs are needed to instill ethical and moral values in athletes and equip coaches with the necessary skills to prevent, detect, and address bullying situations.</p>
</abstract>

Bullying is a social problem that has been studied most in schools but affects other social contexts. However, there is a general lack of studies on bullying in sports. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bullying among youth soccer players. Participants were 1,980 soccer players (88.2% boys) aged 8 to 13 years (Mage = 10.5, SD = 1.68) from 25 clubs in Catalonia, Spain. An ad hoc questionnaire was administered to analyze the prevalence and characteristics of bullying from the perspective of victims, bullies, and bystanders. The overall bullying victimization rate was 8.9%, with higher rates observed in the younger categories (p < .001); 5.2% of victims experienced bullying in both their soccer club and at school. The bullying and bystander rates were 14.8% and 34.7%, respectively, with significant differences between boys and girls (15.5% of boys and 9% of girls were bullies [p < .05], while 36.4% of boys and 21.9% of girls were bystanders [p < .001]). Verbal bullying was the main type of bullying reported. The locker room and pitch were the most common locations, and victims were more likely to deal with bullying on their own than to ask for help. Bullying is present in grassroots soccer, and anti-bullying programs are needed to instill ethical and moral values in athletes and equip coaches with the necessary skills to prevent, detect, and address bullying situations.

Prevalence of Bullying in Grassroots Soccer in Spain: Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders

Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Bullying is a social problem that has been studied most in schools but affects other social contexts. However, there is a general lack of studies on bullying...

Prevalence of Bullying in Grassroots Soccer in Spain: Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders

Pubblicato online: 17 mar 2022

Pagine: 11 - 20

Ricevuto: 16 giu 2021

Accettato: 02 nov 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2022-0002

Parole chiave
Bullying, soccer, sport, victimization, youth

© 2022 Xènia Ríos et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Prevalence of Bullying in Grassroots Soccer in Spain: Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders

Pubblicato online: 17 mar 2022

Pagine: 11 - 20

Ricevuto: 16 giu 2021

Accettato: 02 nov 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2022-0002

Parole chiaveBullying, soccer, sport, victimization, youth

© 2022 Xènia Ríos et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Parole chiave
Bullying, soccer, sport, victimization, youth