We will examine the relation between exposure to workplace violence (i.e., being abused as a referee) and health outcomes in Canadian adolescents.
Planned Impact
The work experiences of adolescents need to be positive, and the conditions need to be safe. For this to happen, we need to commit to the surveillance of this developmental context, and its impact on health. Our sophisticated study design will allow us to document the complex interconnections between exposure to workplace violence and health in youth referees.
Knowledge gained from our study can be used to create efficacious prevention programs designed to keep youth safe and healthy, with applications to all sports. Through our partnerships, we have the means to convey evidence-based information about referee abuse to all sports stakeholders in Canada.
Stakeholders have the capacity to improve public policies, to develop intervention strategies, promote public discourse, and ultimately, improve the working conditions of youth in sports and thus safeguard their health.
Benefits of this Research
Our team has prioritized systematic knowledge mobilization activities to ensure that our research findings are meaningful to the full range of potential end-users and leads to measurable changes in evidence-based practice and policy.
In collaboration with our partners, we will work to ensure the findings from this study reach target audiences to help effect change and lead to safer working environments for youth referees in soccer, with application to all sports in Canada.