Examining the Effect of Ineffective Parenting and Low Self-Control on Athletes’ PED Use

Abstract

The prevalence of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use at different levels of professional sport has become an important social issue, particularly when considering recent high-profile incidents from professional sports and the Olympics. Due to the myriad of individual, team, and sociopolitical consequences that can stem from PED use, it becomes critical to study the etiology of PED involvement among athletes regarding this deviant behavior. Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime is one such theory that may aid in explaining this phenomenon. As such, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between effective parenting, self-control, and athletes’ use of banned PEDs. Survey data from 784 professional athletes in Iran were collected, and the findings indicated that ineffective parenting, low self-control capacity, and self-control desire had significant effects on PED use. In addition, moderation effects and gender analyses were examined. Specific findings, policy implications, and study limitations are discussed.

Antisocial Behavior in Soccer Players: Using an Integrated Mediation Model of Personal Control and Social Learning Theory

“…It is influenced by personal controls and the social learning process as described by three competitive criminological theories: social learning (Akers, 1998), self‐control (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990), and control balance theory (Tittle, 1995). This is consistent with previous research in the sport domain (Chan et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2019; Kabiri et al., 2018a, 2018b, ; Kabiri and Donner, 2019; Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, and Donner, 2019; Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, and Willits, 2019; Miller, Roberts, and Ommundsen, 2005; Ohl et al., 2015; Ruiz et al., 2019; Spruit et al., 2019). Our study supports previous research that documents athletes’ personal control (low self‐control and control deficit) and social learning process increases the possibility of engagement in aggressive and cheating behaviors (i.e., antisocial behaviors).…”

“…Antisocial behaviors can provide short‐term goals, such as gaining coaches’ endorsement, or enhancing a personal or social image in the eyes of fans or teammates, while cheating or deliberate aggressive behavior accompanied with informal and formal punishment can destroy an athlete's career over time. This finding lends support to other studies on deviant behavior in sports (Chan et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2019; Kabiri et al, 2018b; Kabiri and Donner, 2019; Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, and Willits, 2019). Moreover, control balance theory posits that control imbalance (control deficit) is associated with deviance because it produces an imbalance between motivation toward deviance and constraints on deviance behavior (Tittle, 1995).…”

“…Scholars have used self‐control theory to explain and predict a wide variety of behaviors, including antisocial behavior (Cauffman, Steinberg, and Piquero, 2005; de Kemp et al., 2009; Laird, Marks, and Marrero, 2011; Özdemir, Vazsonyi, and Çok, 2013), violence and aggression (Denson, DeWall, and Finkel, 2012; DeWall, Finkel, and Denson, 2011; Jennings et al., 2011; Piquero et al., 2005; Sellers, 1999), and cheating (Bolin, 2004; Cochran et al., 1998; Mead et al., 2009; Smith, 2004; Tibbetts and Myers, 1999; Williams and Williams, 2012). In the context of sports, recent studies have also supported the notion that athletes with low self‐control are more likely to engage in deviant behaviors (Kabiri et al, 2018a; Kabiri and Donner, 2019; Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, and Willits, 2019). An example is the use of illegal performance‐enhancing drugs identified in athletes with lower levels of self‐control (Kabiri and Donner, 2019).…”

“…In the context of sports, recent studies have also supported the notion that athletes with low self‐control are more likely to engage in deviant behaviors (Kabiri et al, 2018a; Kabiri and Donner, 2019; Kabiri, Shadmanfaat, and Willits, 2019). An example is the use of illegal performance‐enhancing drugs identified in athletes with lower levels of self‐control (Kabiri and Donner, 2019). Risk‐taking, short‐term thinking, and impulsivity may lead these athletes to deviant behavior with minimal consideration of punishment (Kabiri et al, 2018a).…”

The Influence of Different Dimensions of the Parent–Child Relationship in Childhood as Longitudinal Predictors of Substance Use in Late Adolescence. The Mediating Role of Self-Control

“…Some cross-sectional studies have approached models that included the mediating effect of self-control in the link between parenting and substance use. Self-control has been suggested to mediate the relation among substance use and ineffective parenting (Kabiri et al, 2020), maternal support (Vazsonyi et al, 2016), or parent-child conflict (Tarantino et al, 2015). Thus, these studies suggest a mediating effect of self-control in the association of adverse parenting and substance use.…”