Acceptable or Not: An In-depth Analysis of Adolescent Competitive Athletes’ Perceptions on Abusive Coaching Behaviors

Abstract

The present study aimed to conduct an in-depth analysis of adolescent competitive athletes’ perceptions on abusive coaching behaviors. Our aims were thus to (a) identify the acceptable abusive coaching behaviors and (b) characterize qualitatively the criteria for the acceptance of abusive coaching behaviors. Based on the study goal, an Abusive Coaching Behavior Grid was developed and completed by 356 French-speaking athletes, among which 10 were interviewed to justify where they draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable coaching behaviors. Quantitative analysis showed that shaking, shouting at, or asking athletes to perform until exhaustion were considered acceptable. Quebec and female athletes tended to accept fewer different abusive behaviors, but there were no differences by sport characteristics. The perception on abusive coaching behaviors was influenced by expectations about the coaching role, negative effects of coaching behaviors, circumstances in which the behaviors occur, and the nature of behaviors. The present study raises the importance of questioning cognitive schemas shared by groups of athletes as well as the norms coaches convey and the behaviors they adopt.