SportsPsychologist.com Blog by Dr Victor Thompson

Brian Moore, England Ruby’s ‘Pit Bull’ discloses in his second – and much more frank – autobiography, that he was sexually abused during childhood. Why should it shock us that it should happen to him? Is it because he was big, powerful and ferocious? Perhaps, but he wasn’t always. Like other children, when they are small they are at risk of being taken advantage of by bigger more powerful adults. Could it be that what he experienced as a child fuelled him to become the rugby star later in life? Well, quite possibly. This is because as children, if we should get abused by adults, we usually end-up with a different mix of intense emotions than those with a more ideal childhood. The abused can grow up with more anger towards other people for having been taken advantage of, which can remain throughout life. They can experience more anxiety as they fear being taken advantage of again. Or, they may experience low mood or depression as they learned that they weren’t good enough or that there