The development and validation of a doping attitudes and behaviour scale (DABS)

Summary

Athletes’ use of prohibited ergogenic substances for performance enhancement is a form of cheating behaviour which can jeopardise both their health and their careers. Given such importance, it is not surprising that the problem of drug-use in competitive sport has been widely studied. Unfortunately, research in this field has at least three obvious limitations. First, few studies have attempted to explain why athletes are willing to use these substances, given the risks involved (Anshel, 2005). Second, little effort has been made to understand the theoretical mechanisms underlying cheating/doping behaviour in athletes. Finally, there is a paucity of research on elite athletes’ attitudes to, and beliefs about, doping in sport. These oversights are unfortunate because antidoping measures cannot be fully effective unless they are based on solid evidence about why athletes (especially elite performers) engage in drug-taking in the first place.

Methodology

This project involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. In the first instance the project examined the psychological variables underlying attitudes towards drug use in sport, by surveying 375 high performance athletes, not only on their attitudes towards doping but on a number of other relevant psychological variables. Phase 2 of the study involved exhaustive searches of media reports, seeking athletes who publicly admitted to engaging in doping practices. Over a 30-month period, this list extended to almost 80 elite athletes who were identified as potential interview candidates for this qualitative phase of the research. Following the compilation of the  list, efforts were made to contact these athletes through their national governing bodies, national anti doping agencies, and journalists with whom they had spoken in the past. The final sample size contained 4 athletes.

Results

Interesting findings have emerged on the perceived and reported incidence of doping in sport, athletes’ knowledge of doping substances and differences in attitudes between various demographic groups. Statistical results also show some significant relationships emerging between doping attitudes and psychological characteristics, including perfectionist tendencies and motivational variables.

Significance for Clean Sport

The research team developed and validated the Doping Attitudes and Behavior Scale (DABS) which was informed by findings from quantitative and qualitative portions of the study.