Attitudes and Behaviors with Regards to Androgenic Anabolic Steroids Among Male Adolescents in a County of Sweden

Abstract

Attitudes towards anabolics differ between users and nonusers. These aspects may be beneficial to focus on as one part of a more complex intervention program in order to change these attitudes and decrease the misuse of androgenic anabolic steroids.

Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in the General Population: User Characteristics and Associations with Substance Use

“…In the present analysis in the general male population, where older subjects were also assessed, the same associations were seen. The association between AAS use and the misuse of prescription drugs [12] or illicit drugs is consistent with previous findings in the general US population [22], and in different subgroups such as among adolescents [9,13,14]. Also, in weight lifters, AAS dependence has been reported to be associated with opiod use disorders [35], and a link between AAS and opioid abuse has been supported by observations in animals and humans [36].…”

“…The proportion of risk drinkers was also higher than among nonusers, whereas no statistical association was seen between risk drinking and AAS use with illicit drugs and prescription drugs included in the model. Previously, an association has been described between alcohol use and AAS in adolescent samples [9,11,13,14], and in the general population [22]. In the present study, the time frame considered was different for AAS use (lifetime) and alcohol use, as most items in the instrument chosen measure the present or the past 12 months.…”

“…A link between AAS use and other substance use has been demonstrated in several studies in different settings, including the younger age groups of the US general population [22], high school students, college students and adolescents [9,11,12,13,14,16,24,25,27], criminals [17], and in treated AAS users [21]. Other possible correlates of AAS use may be negative school experiences, lower level of education, a disadvantageous childhood, and a more unstable current social situation [28].…”

“…However, while few surveys have been performed in the general population, there are several surveys conducted in specific subgroups with elevated risk of AAS use [8], such as adolescents [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16], criminal justice clients [17,18,19], health club attendees [20], or clients in substance abuse treatment [7,21]. The paper by Yesalis et al [22], from the US National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, is among the very few papers assessing the prevalence or correlates of AAS in the general population, without restricting the study population to younger subjects or other risk groups.…”

The Ethics of Gene Doping: A Survey of Elite Athletes and Academic Professionals

“…Hence we achieved a response rate of 56%, which is acceptable [27]. In similar studies querying the attitudes towards more traditional types of doping diverging return rates were found: 93% and 95% in surveys querying use of and the attitudes towards anabolic steroids of Swedish adolescents [28,29], 90% in a study querying the attitudes of Finnish athletes towards doping [30], 74% in a study querying the perceptions of the effects of anabolic steroids amongst American students [31] and 60% in a survey querying the attitudes towards doping amongst French high school athletes.…”