Cognitive Correlations and Psychological Morbidities of Doping in Adolescent Athletes in Kermanshah, Iran

This study aimed to determine the relations between cognitive variables (self efficacy, locus of control, and dysfunctional attitudes) and psychological morbidities with using doping agents in adolescent athletes. We conducted a case-control study in Kermanshah among adolescent athletes using 50 athletic drug users with reported use as a case group and 50 athletic nonusers and 50 nonathletic nonusers as controls that were matched on salient demographics. Controls selected by a simple random sampling. They were then studied by self-efficacy questionnaire, locus of control scale, dysfunctional attitude scale, and general health questionnaire. Hypotheses tested by variance analysis and Tukey’s test. Our findings showed that athletic drug users had a lower self-efficacy, more dysfunctional attitudes, and exhibited external locus of control rather than control groups. They were also more sensitive to psychological morbidity. Most of relations were statistically significant. Our findings were in accordance with the theoretical basis of cognitive psychology and they are comparable to most of the similar studies.