Analysis of Psychosocial Factors Promoting Doping In Sport: A Study for Promoting Preventive Measures to Curtail Adoption of Doping

Abstract

International sports federations such as those for cycling, athletics, and soccer have conducted extensive anti-doping testing for years, but high-profile athletes continue to be implicated in steroid usage scandals that make headlines throughout the world. This study purposes to find the psychological aspects to curtail doping in adolescents. The objective of the study were to study the differences between different age groups (12-18, 18-25, 25-30 & above 30) of sport persons on psychosocial factors promoting doping and to study the difference between groups (12-18, 18-25, 25-30 & above 30) of sport persons on willingness to adopt doping. Random samples of 400 sport persons were selected for the study. In this study work, questionnaire on psychosocial factors was administered on 400 selected sport persons for the collection of data. To study the interactional effect of age and level of sports person in identifying different psychosocial factors promoting doping, selected sample belong to four different age groups (100 each) were selected for the study. Four age group division were 18 years and below (Adolescent), 18-25 years,   25- 30 years and  30 years and above. Open ended Questionnaire for Identification of different factors involving favor or against of Criminalization of Doping was used. Mixed (Qualitative as well as quantitative) method was applied to obtain the set objectives this study. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test using statistical package (V.22).Sports persons of more than 30 years of age having low doping insusceptibility covering willingness factor. Therefore, sports persons of more than 30 years of age were most affected by the willingness variables to adopt doping under some conditions of their favor when compared with any other age group of sports persons. It was found that was a significant difference among the age group of sport persons on Doping Insusceptibility Scale.It was concluded that there was no significant difference among level of participation on Doping Insusceptibility Scale. It was concluded that there was a significant difference among Age Group by level of performance interaction effect on Doping Insusceptibility Scale.