Physical contact in physical education for women: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of discomfort related to initiator gender, relationship with the initiator, and body region

Physical contact is frequently used in sports instruction, but perceptions of discomfort may vary according to social and contextual factors. In this study, discomfort toward physical contact was examined using two parallel designs: one focusing on teachers as initiators in relation to initiator gender and body region, and the other focusing on initiators without a specified function in relation to initiator gender, relationship (close friend or acquaintance), and body region. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 175 female university students in Japan. Participants evaluated 66 hypothetical scenarios comprising 22 teacher-initiated conditions (2 initiator genders × 11 body regions) and 44 conditions involving close friends or acquaintances (2 initiator genders × 2 relationship levels × 11 body regions). Discomfort was assessed as a binary outcome (yes/no). Data were analyzed using separate binary logistic regression models for the two designs: initiator gender × body region for teacher-initiated contact, and initiator gender × relationship × body region for contact initiated by close friends or acquaintances. For teacher-initiated contact, significant main effects of initiator gender and body region were observed, whereas the initiator gender × body region interaction was not significant. For contact initiated by close friends or acquaintances, significant main effects of initiator gender, relationship, and body region were observed, together with a significant initiator gender × relationship interaction; interactions involving body region were not significant. Across both designs, discomfort was greater for male initiators and varied across body regions. Among close friends and acquaintances, discomfort was greater for male initiators in both relationship conditions, but the estimated gender contrast was larger for close friends than for acquaintances. These findings suggest that physical contact in sports-related contexts should be considered in relation to initiator gender and body region, as well as relational closeness when the initiator's function is not specified.