Understanding athlete vulnerability: the role of Big Five personality traits in victimisation of transgressive behaviour in sports

Transgressive behaviour in sports remains a pressing concern for athlete well-being and safety. Recent studies have proposed a biopsychosocial framework to understand athlete vulnerability (van Voorthuizen et al., 2022; Haandrikman et al., 2023; Haandrikman et al., manuscript). These studies highlight that biological, personality and social factors interact in shaping athletes’ vulnerability to experiencing transgressive behaviours.

The role of personality traits in athlete vulnerability within the field of safe sports remains underexplored. Haandrikman et al. (2023) already emphasised this gap in their literature review on personality and sexual forms of transgressive behaviour. More recently, interviews with athletes who have lived experiences of transgressive behaviour revealed that several personality-related factors may contribute to increased vulnerability (Haandrikman et al., manuscript). Interestingly, these factors appear to align with the Big Five personality dimensions (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). This observation raises an interesting question: to what extent do specific Big Five personality traits contribute to an athlete’s vulnerability to victimisation within sport environments? Thus, this study aims to explore the relationships between Big Five personality traits and athlete vulnerability to experiencing transgressive behaviour in sports.

It is crucial to emphasise that responsibility for transgressive behaviour never lies with the athlete. The aim of this research is, therefore, not to assign blame, but to deepen understanding of personality-related vulnerability as part of the broader biopsychosocial profile. By identifying personality patterns associated with increased vulnerability, this study seeks to support prevention, early recognition, and resilience-building among athletes. Ultimately, contributing to safer sport environments.

Big Five Personality, Victimisation, Transgressive Behaviour, Sports, Athlete Vulnerability, Biopsychosocial Profile

Example questions are:

• Is there a relationship between Big Five personality traits and the likelihood of victimisation among athletes?
• Which personality traits are most strongly associated with athlete vulnerability to transgressive behaviour?
• To what extent can personality profiles help explain differences in athletes’ reported experiences of transgressive behaviour?

A quantitative questionnaire study.

Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and regressions to test predictive relationships

Please contact Lynn Weiher (l.weiher@utwente.nl) when you are interested in this assignment. The assignment is open to one student. 

• Van Voorthuizen, M., Faber, I. R., van de Bongardt, D., & Schipper-van Veldhoven et al. (2022). A qualitative exploration of a biopsychosocial profile for experiencing sexual harassment and abuse in sports. Social Sciences, 11(7), 309. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11070309
• Haandrikman, M., Fokkens, A., Oostinga, M., & Schipper-van Veldhoven, N. (2023). The psychology of resilience: empowering athletes with a potential risk of experiencing sexual violence in sports. In P. Snell Herzog’s (Ed.), The Social Context of Young People – Engaging Youth and Young Adults (pp. 199-223). https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113960
• Vertommen, T., Schipper-van Veldhoven, N., Wouters, K., Kampen, J. K., Brackenridge, C. H., Rhind, D. J. A., Neels, K., & van den Eede, F. (2016). Interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Child Abuse & Neglect, 51, 223-236. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.10.006