However, in spite of the controversy and the impact of drug testing on these athletes, studies that have been conducted of the athletes' opinions regarding performance-enhancing and recreational drugs, as well as drug testing, are seen to be somewhat rare, and these include studies that examine the psychological effects. Also, studies that have actually been conducted approach the topic of steroid use or other drug use from many different perspectives, with mixed results. As a consequence, there is still very little known regarding these athletes' perceptions of performance-enhancing drug use and the drug testing policies in sports, with even less being known regarding the psychological effects that these athletes experience from the use of performance-enhancing drugs (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001).

A large majority of the student-athletes that have been studied and surveyed regarding drug use have been shown to have very negative attitudes toward the use of drugs by athletes, whether these were performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids, or whether they were recreational drugs such as marijuana (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001). These student athletes, however, do not generally cite the psychological effects of these drugs as being one of the reasons that they should not be taken, which could indicate that these athletes are not as aware of these psychological effects as they should be. These studied athletes have also expressed many opinions regarding the idea that drug use for performance enhancement by athletes is highly unacceptable, and that these athletes did not need any type of drug to be competitive with others and/or to reach their highest potential as athletes (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001).

For these athletes, the idea of using performance-enhancing drugs was obviously negative, and they believed that the use and abuse...

In studies that have been conducted into this issue, the athletes' attitudes were also assessed through the use of questionnaires.
Though a large number of respondents in the studies that were conducted expressed a disapproval of the use of drugs, the relationship of these athletes' attitudes and their own, actual drug-related behavior is not clear (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001). In other words, these athletes said that they believed that performance-enhancing drug use was wrong, but they did not say whether, despite their apparent convictions, they used currently or had ever used any kind of performance-enhancing drugs, or recreational drugs, and if they had used them, what kind of problems or effects they may have experienced.

Confusion therefore exists regarding what the rate of non-medical drug use in young male athletes actually is. Earlier studies that have been conducted have indicated that, with an exception being made for steroids, the rate that is seen for drug use among these athletes was very similar to the rate of drug use that was seen among non-athletes (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001). In contrast to this, athletes have also reported rates of drug use that were seen to be lower than what was reported by those that were not athletes (Kindlundh, Hagekull, Isacson, & Nyberg, 2001). The study addressed here is indicative of the fact that young individuals are sometimes going to involve themselves with things that they should not, regardless of whether they think that others should or should not engage in the same type of behavior.

Bibliography

Kindlundh, Anna M.S., Hagekull, Berit, Isacson, Dag G.L., & Nyberg, Fred. 2001. Adolescent use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and relations to self-reports of social, personality and health aspects. European Journal of Public Health, 11(3), 322-328. Retrieved 15 September 2007 at http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/11/3/322