The Dark Side of Sport: Trauma and Mental Health Symptomology in Athletes

Sport is frequently positioned as a context for positive development. However, athletes may face unique risks for interpersonal violence in coach–athlete and authority–athlete relationships alongside adverse experiences outside of sporting contexts. Given that little quantitative research considers both sources of trauma in relation to athlete mental health, the current study was designed to explore how coach violence, authority violence, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contribute to mental health symptomology. Drawing on attachment theory, athlete mental health is recognized to be shaped by both prior developmental adversity and ongoing relational dynamics within sport. To examine these connections, participants (N = 341, M_age = 21.72 years, SD_age = 4.56, 80.4% female) were a mixture of current and former athletes, with the majority identifying as White women from a Western region of the United States. Robust multiple regression analyses highlighted that coach violence, authority violence, and ACEs were associated with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociation. Interactions between coach violence and ACEs were associated with anxiety, depression, and dissociation, while a three-way interaction among coach violence, authority violence, and ACEs was associated with PTSD. These findings support the view that athletes are not blank slates upon entering sport; instead, pre-existing trauma and histories may shape their vulnerability to further harm and influence how they respond to relational dynamics within the sport environment. Rather than viewing sport participation as uniformly protective, results underscore the need to consider how developmental histories and interpersonal dynamics jointly shape athlete well-being. By integrating developmental theory and trauma-informed principles, this research provides insights into how practitioners can recognize signs of trauma, minimize re-traumatization, and create emotionally safe environments to promote mental health and relational safety in sport.