Measures of aggression and mood changes in male weightlifters with and without androgenic anabolic steroid use.
Supraphysiologic doses of testosterone are associated with increased aggression that is hypothesized to be a function of testosterone serum concentrations, mood, and personality. The study attempted to characterize this relationship among weightlifters who were users (n = 10) and nonusers (n = 18) of anabolic steroids. Participants were interviewed using the Modified Mania Rating Scale and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression to assess mood, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) and Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) to assess aggression, and the Personality Disorder Questionnaire (PDQ-R) to assess personality. Blood samples were obtained for the determination of total, free, and weakly bound testosterone. Comparisons of continuous variables between testosterone users and non-users were performed with a parametric (unpaired t-test) or non-parametric (Mann-Whitney) test where appropriate. Correlations with testosterone were examined separately for testosterone users and non-users, using Spearman rank correlation. The subjective (BDHI) and objective (PSAP) assessments of aggression found that supranormal testosterone concentrations were associated with increased aggression. However, the PDQ-R results suggest that this finding was confounded by the personality disorder profile of the steroid users, because steroid users demonstrated Cluster B personality disorder traits for antisocial, borderline, and histrionic personality disorder.
Perry
Paul J
PJ
Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy Division, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA.
Kutscher
Eric C
EC
Lund
Brian C
BC
Yates
William R
WR
Holman
Timothy L
TL
Demers
Laurence
L
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000652:urine; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000523:psychology*
D045930:Anabolic Agents; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D013739:Testosterone