This study examined intermediate and high school students’ attitudes toward and behavior regarding steroids and sports supplements use with a sample of junior high school and high school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, New York. Behavior was measured by questions about respondents’ future steroid use, and current sports supplements use. Attitudes were measured through respondents’ reactions to whether it was appropriate for their peers and themselves to use steroids and sports supplements in a variety of corporeal situations, and the degree to which use of these substances impacted fairness and health issues. Respondents’ also decided whether the use of steroids and sports supplements was legitimate in three specific scenarios involving fictitious male and female high school students, and gave reasons for their decisions. The respondents’ answers and choices were described and assessed for the effect of gender and level of school (junior high school and senior high school). The effect of their clique identity on steroids and sports supplements attitudes and behavior was also assessed. The potential relationship between sports supplements and steroid use was described, and finally a profile presented of the respondents who predicted that they would be very likely to use steroids in the future.
The most consistent finding in the descriptive phase of the results was the negative reaction to steroid use by the great majority of respondents. Steroid use was perceived as inappropriate across all the descriptive measures, for respondents’ own behavior, the behavior of their peers, for specific fairness and health issues, and in the fictitious athletic and fitness scenarios. This rejection of steroid use was made independent of gender and level of school, although a small but statistically significant age effect was found. While some statistically significant male and female differences were found, these were differences of degree not differences in direction. Specifically, male and female participants never differed in their endorsement of steroid use (i.e., one group in favor and the other group against), only in the degree to which they felt that steroid use was wrong. Differences of degree also characterized the few differences between junior high school and high school participants. The negative attitudes about steroid use were also reflected in the clique analysis. This analysis showed some clique effects but no differences in direction. Members of the “jock” and “regular’ cliques expressed the most negative views about steroid use, while members of the “troublemakers” group expressed the least negative views.
