Part 3 GLOBAL ISSUES: HARASSMENT AND ABUSE RESEARCH

swimming coaches. The role conflict/role ambiguity model presented is empirically
grounded but requires further testing before claims about causality can be made.
There is scant research examining sexual harassment and abuse in sport
and the impact of child protection policies on sports coaches, so there are many
possibilities for future research. Theory development in this area will benefit from
research examining cross-sport differences, female coaches and recreational level
sport. As child protection policies become embedded in all government funded youth
sports programmes in the UK, it will be important to examine whether different
groups of coaches experience role conflict and role ambiguity in the same way as
the coaches in this study have done. For example, male coaches may experience
more role conflict and role ambiguity from child protection measures than female
coaches if male coaches feel more scrutinised than females. A study of male carers
of foster children found that the male carers were more concerned about false
allegations of abuse than the female carers. 30
It would also be useful to interview coaches from a sport that does not yet
have a well-developed child protection policy, or from other countries with different
cultural norms. This would allow for the impact of cultural awareness on perceptions
of appropriateness, role conflict and role ambiguity to be examined. Adding to this, a
longitudinal study to follow a group of coaches within a sport that is developing and
implementing a child protection policy would provide insight into the development of
role conflict and ambiguity and might highlight strategies for decreasing the
experience of conflict and ambiguity.
The child protection in sport movement could also benefit from pedagogical
research examining the best methods for raising awareness and improving coaching
practice without contributing to role conflict and ambiguity. It is important that this
research be conducted soon so that detrimental effects of role conflict and role
ambiguity can be avoided. As theory develops in this area, it will be possible to
develop evidenced based practices that will encourage positive sporting
experiences for both athletes and coaches. Assisting coaches to develop
professional standards, teaching them how to care and be professionally friendly
without overstepping the boundary into friendship, whilst also teaching parents and
athletes how to recognise inappropriate coaching behaviour may achieve both the
objective of protecting and developing children.
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