title: Psychological mechanisms underlying doping attitudes in sport: motivation and moral disengagement.
abstract: We examined whether constructs outlined in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), namely, autonomy-supportive and controlling motivational climates and autonomous and controlled motivation, were related to attitudes toward performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sport and drug-taking susceptibility. We also investigated moral disengagement as a potential mediator. We surveyed a sample of 224 competitive athletes (59% female; M age = 20.3 years; M = 10.2 years of experience participating in their sport), including 81 elite athletes. Using structural equation modeling analyses, our hypothesis proposing positive relationships with controlling climates, controlled motivation, and PEDs attitudes and susceptibility was largely supported, whereas our hypothesis proposing negative relationships among autonomous climate, autonomous motivation, and PEDs attitudes and susceptibility was not supported. Moral disengagement was a strong predictor of positive attitudes toward PEDs, which, in turn, was a strong predictor of PEDs susceptibility. These findings are discussed from both motivational and moral disengagement viewpoints.
authors: School of Physical Education, University of Otago, New Zealand.
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Hodge
authors: Elaine A
authors: EA
authors: Hargreaves
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Gerrard
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Lonsdale
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003625:Data Collection; D004300:Doping in Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D009042:Motivation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult