Jasem Manouchehri1 and Farshad Tojari2
Naturally occurring performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) have been known and used through human history. Sport orientations and/or sport tendency focus have been influential factors that individuals and organizations are consistently developing and achieving any kind of technology in order to become prosperous in championships and in this case using performance-enhancing substances/methods has been considered as a way of perfect performing. The present study has examined the conceptual model of sport orientation, doping attitudes and doping beliefs in Iranian elite martial arts athletes. 160 elite athletes (120 males, 40 females) who had activity records in Kick Boxing, O-Sport, Sumo, Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and Muay Thai were chosen by categorical sampling method. The measurements included sport orientation questionnaire (SOQ), doping use belief (DUB), performanceenhancement attitude scale (PEAS), and demographic questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized for examining conceptual model of survey. For analyzing data the LISREL was applied on 95% of confidence level. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed doping believes had a significant effect on doping attitude and behavior. Although the relationship between sport orientation and doping attitude was not significant, the significant relationship between sport orientation and doping behavior was reported. Finally, the significant influence of doping attitude on doping behavior became apparent. The present study suggests using educational workshop for athletes in order to improving the expected athletes’ behavior in using PEDs. The same survey is suggested to do in the community of team sports for realizing the doping psychology differences of athletes in those sports. Likewise, the semi-empirical research is proposed by the variables studying in this paper. Moreover, the same survey should be accomplished for vast range of female participants to observe more exact details.
