Citation

Dodge T, Stock M, Litt D. J. Health Psychol. 2013; 18(7): 962-971.

Affiliation

The George Washington University, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1359105312445079

PMID

23027783

Abstract

This study applied aspects of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Prototype/Willingness model to understand cognitions associated with the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances. There were two study objectives. One was to investigate whether the illegal-is-effective heuristic (i.e. belief that illegal performance-enhancing substances are more effective than legal performance-enhancing substances) affects willingness to use illegal performance-enhancing substances. The second was to examine whether attitudes, norms, and prototypes influence the willingness and intentions to use illegal performance-enhancing substances. The illegal-is-effective heuristic was a significant predictor of willingness but was not a significant predictor of intentions. Implications for future research and prevention efforts are discussed.

Language: en