Petróczi, A. (2007). Attitudes and doping: a structural equation analysis of the relationship between athletes' attitudes, sport orientation and doping behavior. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2, 34.

Questionnaires containing a battery of psychological tests were completed by US male college athletes (N = 199). Outcome measures included sport orientation (win and goal orientation and competitiveness), doping attitude, beliefs and self-reported past or current use of doping. A structural equation model was developed based on the strength of relationships between these outcome measures.

Whilst the doping model showed satisfactory fit, the results suggested that Ss' win and goal orientation and competitiveness do not play a statistically significant role in doping behavior, but win orientation has an effect on doping attitude. Sport orientation and doping behavior were not related.

Implication. The considerable proportion of doping behavior unexplained by the model employed in this study suggests that other factors play an influential role in athletes' decisions regarding prohibited methods. A common reason proposed for using banned substances, a "win-at-all-costs" attitude, was not supported in this study. Other reasons that prompt drug-use and positive test results [discounting errors created in gathering and analyzing urine samples] need to be located.

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