Prevalence of harassment, abuse, and mental health among current and retired senior Swedish cheerleaders

This study examined the prevalence of non-accidental violence, focusing on experienced harassment and abuse (HA), and mental health among current and retired Swedish competitive cheerleaders. An online survey was distributed to current and retired athletes in the Swedish cheerleading federation. The survey assessed perceived coach-athlete relationship, sport psychological safety, resilience, mental health, and experienced HA within the cheerleading environment. A total of 284 athletes (men = 5; women = 278; gender not disclosed = 1; current athletes = 211; retired athletes = 73) completed the survey. Psychological abuse was the most frequently reported HA form (current athletes = 21.6%; retired athletes = 53.5%), followed by neglect (current athletes = 5.4%; retired athletes: 26.8%) and physical abuse (current athletes = 3.9%; retired athletes = 12.7%). A high-quality coach-athlete relationship was identified as a protective factor for HA. Additionally, 33.1% and 8.9% of participants displayed scores indicating anxiety and depression caseness, while 63.8% reported a high level of wellbeing. Anxiety/depression scores above clinical cut-off were linked to injury episodes and a high level of wellbeing to a mentally healthy environment. Resilience was found to protect mental health overall. The high occurrence of reported psychological abuse and indications of anxiety/depression related to injury episodes suggest a need of attention towards prevention and athlete protection strategies in cheerleading environments.