Exploring the Impact of Organizational Communication on Athletes who have Experienced Interpersonal Violence in Sport Using a Trauma-informed Approach

Abstract

Researchers have begun analyzing the types of public responses sport organizations issue following interpersonal violence (IV) cases (Frederick et al., 2021; Meadows & Meadows, 2020); however, their impact on the athletes who experience them has not been systematically explored. Similarly, the impact of internal communications and organizational silence following an IV case remains unexplored. In this thesis, written in the publishable paper format, I took a first step toward addressing these gaps by exploring the impact of organizational communications on athletes who have experienced IV in sport. To do so, I conducted a narrative inquiry, that included narrative interviews with eight athletes who experienced IV. Importantly, throughout the design and execution of this study, I paid particular attention to implementing a trauma-informed research approach to reduce the likelihood of participant re-traumatization and enhance research quality. In the first paper, I drew on critical feminist theory to inform a thematic narrative analysis of the data. Using this approach, I developed a realist tale that sheds light on some of the tangible impacts organizational communications can have on athletes following cases of IV. Through the analysis of participant stories, I showcased some of the ways in which organizational communication can cause harm. In the second paper, I used situational crisis communication theory to inform a thematic narrative analysis, developed six considerations for crisis communicators, and used creative nonfiction to craft a short story that represents an idealized experience of organizational communication based on participants’ perspectives. Additionally, I argued that athlete well-being should be considered alongside reputational impact when developing crisis communication responses after cases of IV. These papers may be used by crisis communicators and sport administrators to inform the development of athlete-centred communication efforts following IV cases. This thesis contains contributions to theory and practice that have the potential to improve the experiences of athletes who have undergone IV in sport.