Zoob Carter Barnaby N, Boardley Ian D
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2024 Aug 8;15:1347211. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347211. eCollection 2024.
Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) dependence affects approximately 30% of people who use AAS. Presently, measures to assess and diagnose AAS dependence are adapted from scales specific to other forms of drug misuse (e.g., alcohol), containing issues with internal consistency and breadth of construct capture. Additionally, there are no measures available to assess AAS craving, which represents a potentially important coeval factor to AAS dependence. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and provide evidence of validity for measures of AAS dependence and AAS craving.
Data were collected from male and female strength athletes who use AAS across two samples ( = 206; = 224). Sample 1 completed the new measures alongside instruments assessing theoretically related constructs (Doping Moral Disengagement, Doping Self-Regulatory Efficacy Scale, craving items from the Wisconsin Smoking Withdrawal Scale, AAS adapted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorder 4 Edition), whereas Sample 2 completed the new instruments.
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) with Sample 1 data were used to finalize the item sets for both measures and determine the factorial structures of the AAS Dependence Scale (AASDS) and AAS Craving Scale (AASCS). The AASDS consists of 15-items across five first-order factors that are represented by one second-order factor. The AASCS consists of 16-items across four first-order factors that are represented by one second-order factor. Evidence supporting the concurrent, convergent and discriminant validity of scores obtained with both scales was provided through their associations with the theoretically related variables. CFA with the data from Sample 2 confirmed the factor structures for both scales.
The AASDS and AASCS represent valid and reliable measures of AAS dependence and AAS craving for use in research with strength athletes who use AAS.
合成代谢雄激素类固醇（AAS）依赖影响了约30%使用AAS的人群。目前，评估和诊断AAS依赖的措施是从针对其他形式药物滥用（如酒精）的量表改编而来，存在内部一致性和结构涵盖广度方面的问题。此外，没有可用于评估AAS渴求的措施，而AAS渴求可能是AAS依赖的一个重要同期因素。因此，本研究旨在开发AAS依赖和AAS渴求的测量方法并提供效度证据。
从使用AAS的男女力量运动员中收集数据，分两个样本（样本1 = 206；样本2 = 224）。样本1在完成新测量方法的同时，还完成了评估理论相关结构的工具（兴奋剂道德脱离、兴奋剂自我调节效能量表、威斯康星戒烟量表中的渴求项目、AAS改编版《精神障碍诊断与统计手册》第4版），而样本2完成了新工具。
对样本1的数据进行探索性和验证性因素分析（CFA），以最终确定两种测量方法的项目集，并确定AAS依赖量表（AASDS）和AAS渴求量表（AASCS）的因子结构。AASDS由15个项目组成，分为五个一阶因子，由一个二阶因子代表。AASCS由16个项目组成，分为四个一阶因子，由一个二阶因子代表。通过两种量表得分与理论相关变量的关联，提供了支持两种量表得分的同时效度、聚合效度和区分效度的证据。对样本2的数据进行CFA，证实了两种量表的因子结构。
AASDS和AASCS是用于对使用AAS的力量运动员进行研究的、有效且可靠的AAS依赖和AAS渴求测量方法。
