Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Winston Seegobin, PsyD

Second Advisor

Scott Burkhart, PsyD

Third Advisor

Carilyn Ellis, PsyD

Abstract

Participation in elite dance training often requires navigating environments with heightened risk of physical and psychological maltreatment. This risk has historically been embedded and normalized through rigid pedagogical practices and professional expectations (Gregory & Interiano-Shiverdecker, 2021). Additional vulnerabilities for dancers include age of participation, training methodologies and culture, the dancer–instructor relationship, intensity and proximity of residential programs, and level of parental involvement. Existing research on elite dance training has predominantly focused on ballet-specific stressors, culture, and professional commitments using qualitative analysis. The present study examined the prevalence and perception of maltreatment, the psychological impact of harm, and identified implications for cultural and systemic change within high-performance dance training environments through quantitative measures.

A total of 163 participants, across various professional stages and dance specializations completed the study. The study utilized various measures including the Dance Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ), the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACEs), the Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ-C), and the 10-Item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to identify stress history, the occurrence and perception of maltreatment, as well as levels of resilience and other protective factors. This study yielded several important findings including psychological maltreatment as the most common form of harm, the normalization and lasting psychological impact of maltreatment, the role of resilience, and the persistence of occurrence despite an increased awareness of sociocultural factors like the #MeToo movement and SafeSport initiatives.

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