Elite athletes are less likely to take banned substances if they consider the morality of what they are doing, and not just the health consequences of doping, says a new research.
The study from the University of Birmingham, funded by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), asked 1,500 athletes from the UK, Denmark andGreece to complete a questionnaire about two hypothetical doping situations.
Participants were male and female elite football players,competing just below professional levels.
The findings, published in the journal Psychology of Sportand Exercise, showed that some athletes were able to disengage, or distancethemselves from the moral aspects of doping — leading to lower feelings ofguilt.
“If an athlete can justify their actions to themselves,they will feel less guilt, which makes them more likely to dope. If wereinforce the message that doping is cheating, athletes are less likely to doit,” said Maria Kavussanu, Professor at the University of Birmingham.
The key factor which seems to protect athletes from dopingwas moral identity.
Those players who had a strong moral identity did not usejustifications for doping, expected to feel more guilt for doping, and ultimatelywere less likely to dope.
“This study is another important step in furtherunderstanding the behaviour of doping and it gives valuable insights into howinterventions can be tailored to more effectively prevent it fromhappening,” said Tony Cunningham, Senior Manager, Education at WADA. “Engaging athletes at a moral level isimportant, but how to do this and the types of messages an athlete shouldreceive can be difficult to know. The research team have helped to betterunderstand how these messages can be framed,” Cunningham added.