Peer Violence in Youth Sport: Do Age, Year of Training, and Type of Sport Affect Outcomes?

Sports (Basel). 2025 Apr 21;13(4):127. doi: 10.3390/sports13040127.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: In sports and physical activities, destructive behaviors such as aggression and violence are not uncommon. Although sports and physical activities have many benefits, they can also have negative consequences. This study aimed to investigate the factors that can contribute to the manifestation of aggression and interpersonal violence (IV). The variables incorporated were the athletes’ age, sports experience (training years), and type of sport.METHODS: This study included n = 2091 youth athletes (aged between 11 and 18 years) from Serbia, with a cross-sectional study design. The data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using the Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests in IBM SPSS.RESULTS: The athletes’ ages and the types of sports (collective and contact) in which they participated are associated with aggression and IV manifestation. In addition, physical violence tends to be more common among older athletes in collective and contact sports, while psychological violence is more prevalent among older athletes who train for five or more years and participate in collective and non-contact sports.CONCLUSIONS: Identifying some of the correlated factors in aggression and IV manifestation among youth athletes could help in the development of strategies to reduce these destructive behaviors in youth sports.PMID:40278753 | DOI:10.3390/sports13040127

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