Cognitive Correlations and Psychological Morbidities of Doping in Adolescent Athletes in Kermanshah, Iran

Objective: This study aimed to determine the relations between cognitive variables (self efficacy, locus of control, and dysfunctional attitudes) and psychological morbidities with using doping agents in adolescent athletes.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study in Kermanshah among adolescent athletes using 50 athletic drug users with reported use as a case group and 50 athletic nonusers and 50 nonathletic nonusers as controls that were matched on salient demographics. Controls selected by a simple random sampling. They were then studied by self-efficacy questionnaire, locus of control scale, dysfunctional attitude scale, and general health questionnaire. Hypotheses tested by variance analysis and Tukey’s test.

Results: Our findings showed that athletic drug users had a lower self-efficacy, more dysfunctional attitudes, and exhibited external locus of control rather than control groups. They were also more sensitive to psychological morbidity. Most of relations were statistically significant.

Conclusion: Our findings were in accordance with the theoretical basis of cognitive psychology and they are comparable to most of the similar studies.