Leeds Trinity University is collaborating on a global research project that aims to help reduce doping in sport by understanding attitudes towards doping in adolescent athletes.
Funded by a $61,000 grant from the World Anti-Doping Agency, Leeds Trinity University’s Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, John Perry, is co-investigator on the three-year research project that will develop and validate the Adolescent Sport Drug Inventory (ASDI) among adolescent athletes from the UK, US, Hong Kong, and Australia. Once developed, the ASDI will be utilised to explore maturational, environmental, and psychological factors, in three separate studies, which might influence such attitudes towards doping and doping susceptibility.
John Perry commented:
“Doping in sport has been a big issue for some time. There is a lot of research in the area, but very little regarding adolescents. This is surprising because we know that this is when many attitudes are formed. In this research, we are going to first identify a way of measuring attitudes towards doping and then explore what factors increase someone’s susceptibility to dope. This is important because to reduce doping in sport, it is important to target those at risk of developing positive attitudes towards it. Our research aims to aid this.”
The project was conceived by Dr Adam Nicholls, Lecturer in Sport Psychology and Coaching at the University of Hull, who will act as Principal Investigator over the three years. As co-investigator, John Perry’s role was to produce the methodology, and he will be conducting all analysis throughout the project’s duration. Joining John Perry and Dr Nicholls are Dr Andrew Levy (Edge Hill University, UK), Dr Timothy Baghurst (Oklahoma State University, US), Mr Leigh Jones (Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, Hong Kong), Dr Colin Sanctuary (Newcastle Knights Rugby League, Australia), and Dr Rudi Meir (Southern Cross University, Australia).
John added:
“Obviously doping in sport is a worldwide concern, so it is important that this research is truly international. By collaborating with researchers in the UK, the US, Hong Kong and Australia, we’ll be able to achieve a truly global project that will impact on our understanding of adolescent attitudes towards doping across the world.”
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