Tonya Dodge

Peer Influences on Risk Behavior: An Analysis of the Effects of a Close Friend.

Cross-sectional research suggests that peer influence has a moderate to strong impact on adolescent risk behavior. Such estimates may be inflated owing to third-variable confounds representing either friendship selection effects or the operation of parallel events. Approximately 1,700 peer dyads in Grades 7 to 11 were studied over a 1-year period to estimate the influence of closest friends on sexual activity and binge drinking. Analyses suggested that peer influence was small but reliable when both selection effects and parallel events were taken into account. Peer influence varied as a function of individual-peer similarity and maternal relations but not in accord with other theoretical predictions. It is suggested that the magnitude of peer effects in previous research may be overestimated in many contexts.

The use of anabolic androgenic steroids and polypharmacy: a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND A review of the literature was conducted to examine the relationship between the use of anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use and the use of other drugs. METHODS Studies published between the years of 1995 and 2010 were included in the review. RESULTS The use of AAS is positively associated with use of alcohol, illicit drugs and legal performance enhancing substances. In contrast, the relationship between AAS and the use of tobacco and cannabis is mixed. CONCLUSION Results of the review indicate that the relationship between AAS use and other substance use depends on the type of substance studied. Implications for treatment and prevention are discussed. Suggestions for future research are provided.

Self-Regulation of Performance: Goal Establishment and Goal Revision Processes in Athletes

The processes by which individuals establish, strive for, and revise personal performance goals were examined in a longitudinal study of track and field athletes. Participants were followed over the course of their competitive season and completed goal-progress questionnaires after each competition. Hypotheses regarding initial goal choice and goal revision were drawn from control theory and social cognitive theory, and comparisons of the two theories were conducted. Results supported social cognitive theorys assertion that self-regulation involves both discrepancy-production and discrepancy-reduction processes. The majority of athletes created positive goal-performance discrepancies by setting initial goals higher than previous best performance. In addition, goal revision during the season served to maintain, rather than eliminate, goal discrepancies. Goal revision was predicted by the size of the discrepancy between ones goal and current performance, moderated by performance attributions and phase of season. Large discrepancies that were attributed to uncontrollable causes or that occurred later in the season resulted in downward goal revision. Goals were increased when discrepancies were small and attributed to controllable causes. Implications of these results for theory and research on self-regulation of goals and performance are discussed.

A longitudinal investigation of the Drive for Muscularity Scale: predicting use of performance enhancing substances and weightlifting among males.

The present study was designed to examine the predictive validity of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS; McCreary & Sasse, 2000). The drive for muscularity scale (DMS) is comprised of two subscales: a muscularity-oriented body image (MBI) subscale and a muscularity behavior (MB) subscale. The present study tested whether these subscales predicted two behavioral outcomes in the context of a longitudinal design: use of performance enhancing substances (PES) and weightlifting behavior. One hundred and sixty-one male undergraduates completed a questionnaire that assessed the drive for muscularity, PES use and weightlifting behavior at Time 1 and again 6 weeks later. Results indicated that the MB subscale at Time 1 significantly predicted both changes in PES use and weightlifting behavior controlling for past substance use and past weightlifting behavior. The MBI subscale failed to predict either changes in PES use or weightlifting behavior. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Influence of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act on Consumer Beliefs About the Safety and Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements

The authors conducted two studies to examine the influence of the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) on consumer beliefs about the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements. Study 1 manipulated information about Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the context of a dietary supplement designed to improve immune system functioning. Study 2 tested the effect of an educational intervention designed to improve knowledge about the DSHEA. Results of Study 1 highlighted deficits in consumer knowledge about FDA regulation of dietary supplements. Results also showed that information about FDA approval failed to have a statistically significant effect on beliefs about safety or effectiveness of the dietary supplement. Results of Study 2 showed that participants who were educated about the regulation of dietary supplements under the DSHEA rated dietary supplements as less safe and less effective than did participants in the control condition. The authors discuss the implications for consumers in the United States and for public policy.

Is Abstinence an Alternative? Predicting Adolescent Athletes' Intentions to Use Performance Enhancing Substances

The present study incorporated the behavioral alternative of abstinence into the Theory of Reasoned Action to test whether abstinence contributed to the prediction of intentions to use performance enhancing substances (PES). Adolescent athletes (N = 241) completed a questionnaire about the use of legal and illegal PES. Approximately 2.5 percent of adolescents reported having tried an illegal PES and 17 percent reported having tried a legal PES. Results showed that attitudes and norms associated with abstinence contribute to the prediction of behavioral intentions over and above that of attitudes and norms associated with using both legal and illegal PES.

Metacognition, risk behavior, and risk outcomes: the role of perceived intelligence and perceived knowledge.

The present study explores 2 key variables in social metacognition: perceived intelligence and perceived levels of knowledge about a specific content domain. The former represents a judgment of ones knowledge at an abstract level, whereas the latter represents a judgment of ones knowledge in a specific content domain. Data from interviews of approximately 8,411 female adolescents from a national sample were analyzed in a 2-wave panel design with a year between assessments. Higher levels of perceived intelligence at Wave 1 were associated with a lower probability of the occurrence of a pregnancy over the ensuing year independent of actual IQ, self-esteem, and academic aspirations. Higher levels of perceived knowledge about the accurate use of birth control were associated with a higher probability of the occurrence of a pregnancy independent of actual knowledge about accurate use, perceived intelligence, self-esteem, and academic aspirations.

Judging cheaters: is substance misuse viewed similarly in the athletic and academic domains?

The present study examines how individuals judge others who use performance-enhancing drugs in two different domains--the athletic domain and the academic domain. Approximately 1,200 males in their freshman year of college completed a questionnaire that included two scenarios. One scenario described an athlete who misused anabolic steroids to help him succeed at a sporting event. The other described a college student who misused Adderall to help him succeed on his midterm exams. Participants rated the extent to which they thought the target had cheated and the extent to which they felt the substances were necessary for success. Results showed participants believed the athlete was more of a cheater than the student, and this difference got larger as past prescription stimulant misuse increased. Results also demonstrated that participants felt Adderall was more necessary than anabolic steroids for bringing about success. Contributions to the literature on zero-sum and non-zero-sum domains are discussed. Implications for future research and efforts to prevent substance misuse are described.

What makes consumers think dietary supplements are safe and effective? The role of disclaimers and FDA approval.

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to examine the effect of the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) regulatory framework on beliefs about the safety and effectiveness of a dietary supplement. DESIGN An experimental study was conducted with a sample of college students (N = 262). Participants read a description of a dietary supplement, and the experimental manipulations were embedded in the product description. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary measures of interest included overall knowledge of the FDAs role in regulating dietary supplements and safety and effectiveness ratings of the dietary supplement. RESULTS Results demonstrated that individuals were not very knowledgeable about the FDAs role in regulating dietary supplements. Making participants explicitly aware that the FDA did not approve a dietary supplement lowered safety ratings of the supplement but had no influence on effectiveness ratings. The opposite results were obtained for a structure-function disclaimer in which the presence of the disclaimer lowered effectiveness ratings of the supplement but did not affect safety ratings. CONCLUSION Results highlight the importance of educating individuals about the FDAs role in regulating dietary supplements.

Drive for Muscularity and Beliefs about Legal Performance Enhancing Substances as Predictors of Current Use and Willingness to Use

Using a sample of college-aged male athletes (n = 56) and nonathletes (n = 43), negative and positive beliefs were tested as mediators of the relationship between Drive for Muscularity (DM) and use of performance enhancing substances (PES). Results showed that the Muscularity Behavior (MB) and Muscularity-oriented Body Image (MBI) subscales of the DM scale differentially predicted PES use. Results also showed that negative and positive beliefs are mediators MB—PES use relationship. Neither the MB nor MBI subscales predicted willingness to use a new performance enhancing drug.