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Athlete Mental Health and Coaching Culture: A Survey on Abuse Normalization in Sports

1.What is your age?(Required.)
2.What gender do you identify with?
3.What level of sport have you participated in? (e.g., high school, collegiate, elite)(Required.)
4.What type of sport do/did you play?
5.How many years have you been involved in competitive sports?
6.Have you ever experienced verbal criticism or humiliation from a coach?(Required.)
7.How often did your coach use fear or intimidation to motivate performance?(Required.)
8.Did you feel safe expressing concerns or emotions to your coach?(Required.)
9.Do you believe your coach’s behavior was normalized or accepted by teammates or staff?(Required.)
10.Have you witnessed or experienced hazing or bullying from teammates?(Required.)
11.If yes, how was it addressed by coaching staff or administration?(Required.)
12.Did you feel pressure to conform to aggressive or harmful team norms?(Required.)
13.How often did you feel emotionally overwhelmed or distressed during your athletic experience?(Required.)
14.Did you experience symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem related to your sport participation?(Required.)
15.How strongly do you identify as an athlete?(Required.)
16.Did your athletic identity feel threatened or diminished due to coaching or team dynamics?(Required.)
17.Do you feel your sport experience helped or hindered your personal development?(Required.)
18.How would you describe your coach’s overall communication style?(Required.)
19.Has your coach ever used public criticism or humiliation to motivate you or others?(Required.)
20.Did your coach(s) encourage open communication and emotional expression?(Required.)
21.How often did your coach use fear, punishment, or threats to enforce discipline?(Required.)
22.Did you feel emotionally safe around your coach?(Required.)
23.Were emotionally intense or aggressive coaching behaviors normalized within your team or program?(Required.)
24.Did you or your teammates ever rationalize harmful coaching behaviors as “necessary for success”?(Required.)
25.Did your coach model ethical leadership and emotional intelligence?(Required.)
26.Were there clear behavioral standards or accountability systems in place for coaches?(Required.)
27.Have you ever sought mental health support (e.g., therapy, counseling, peer support) due to the emotional impact of your coach’s behavior?(Required.)
28.Do you believe your coach’s behavior contributed to your decision to seek mental health support?(Required.)
29.Have you ever witnessed or experienced peer aggression (e.g., hazing, bullying, exclusion) that seemed to be tolerated or ignored by your coach?(Required.)
30.Do you believe your coach’s behavior contributed to a team culture where peer aggression was normalized?(Required.)
31.Did your coach ever use favoritism, public criticism, or emotional manipulation in ways that encouraged teammates to target or isolate others?(Required.)
32.Have you ever felt pressure to conform to aggressive team norms that were reinforced by coaching staff?(Required.)
33.Did peer aggression in your team feel like an extension of how your coach treated athletes?(Required.)
Questions 34 - 38 measures Emotion Regulation
34.I have difficulty making sense of my feelings.(Required.)
35.When I’m upset, I feel out of control.(Required.)
36.I know exactly how I’m feeling.(Required.)
37.When I’m upset, I have difficulty focusing on other things.(Required.)
38.I feel guilty for feeling certain emotions.(Required.)
Questions 39 - 43 measures Athletic Identity
39.I consider myself an athlete.(Required.)
40.Sport is the most important part of my life.(Required.)
41.I feel bad about myself when I do poorly in sport(Required.)
42.Others see me as an athlete.(Required.)
43.I have many goals related to sport.(Required.)
44.In your own words, how did your coach’s behavior affect your emotional well-being or identity as an athlete?
45.What changes would you recommend in coaching practices to better support athlete mental health?