The “Athlete Killer” Hidden in the Internet: The Impact of Cyber-violence on High-Level Athletes’ Perceived Performance

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Yurong Lu ^*, Hanzhi Xu ^*, Bingbin Xie ^**, Yi Jiang ^*, Yichi Zhang ^*, Tian Fan ^* and Weinan Zhou ^***

^(*) College of Physical Education, Shanghai Normal University
^(**) Department of Physical Education, East China University of Political Science and Law
^(***) Department of Physical Education, College of Graduate School, Kyung Hee University

Citation

Lu, Y., Xu, H., Xie, B., Jiang, Y., Zhang, Y., Fan, T., Zhou, W. (2024). The “Athlete Killer” Hidden in the Internet: The Impact of Cyber-violence on High-Level Athletes’ Perceived Performance. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 55(6), 640-668. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2024.55.640

Abstract

This study, involving 245 high-level athletes who have suffered from cyber-violence, explores the factors affecting their perceived competition performance. It aims to provide suggestions and ideas for the prevention and management of cyber-violence against athletes. The analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) shows that cyber-violence significantly impacts high-level athletes’ depressive mood and perceived competition performance. Depressive mood plays a significant mediating role between cyber-violence and perceived competition performance. The analysis using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) reveals a diverse set of conditions affecting athletes’ perceived competition performance. The study finds that, apart from cyber-violence and depressive mood, demographic char- acteristics such as gender and age are also important factors. The study discusses relevant literature and offers substantial suggestions for managing cyber-violence.

Keywords: Cyber-violence, Depressive Mood, Perceived Competition Perfor- mance, High-Level Athletes, Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

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