Implicit doping attitude and awareness of unintentional doping

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between implicit doping attitude and athletes’ awareness of unintentional doping. Participants were 143 Australian athletes (Mage = 18.13, SD = 4.63) who completed a brief single-category implicit association test for measuring implicit doping attitude, and Self-Reported Treatment Adherence Scale for the assessment of behavioural adherence to the avoidance of unintentional doping. In addition, we evaluated participants’ awareness of unintentional doping (reading the ingredients of an unfamiliar food product, and awareness of the presence of banned substances) using a standard lollipop decision-making protocol developed in a previous study about unintentional doping awareness. The results showed that implicit doping attitude was negatively related to athletes’ likelihood of reading the ingredients table of an unfamiliar food product, and positively related to athletes’ awareness of the presence of banned substances in the given food product. Implicit attitude did not form a significant relationship with the behavioural adherence to the avoidance of unintentional doping. In conclusion, athletes who reported positive implicit doping attitude were less likely to read the ingredients table of an unknown food product, but they were more likely to be aware of the possible presence of banned substances in certain food products.