THE PERSONAL PATHWAY TO DOPINGThe concept of ‘Individual Risk’ and its implications to sport

Amanda Batt, Education Manager

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• To share and debate the view that ‘doping’ is more than a sport-specific problem

• To propose ‘doping as an individual risk’ as a concept

• To discuss integration of traditional risk based models to a model that has ‘humans’ at the centre

OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

Progress to date

4

CORE INFLUENCERS

Beginner Performance development

Gifted and

talented

Performance

High performanc

eElite

Infl

uen

cers

Parents

Peers

Coaches

Health professionals

Teachers

Role models

Athlete stages

Wider societal influences

UKAD/NGBs

Health professionals

Peers

TeachersRole modelsParents

UKAD/NGBs

Coaches

Progress to date

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• This is the starting point...as phenomenal as they are

• What do we know about people?

• Acceptance that doping is a ‘behaviour’

ATHLETES AS PEOPLE

DOPING

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SO, WHAT DO WE KNOW

Athlete developmen

t

PerformancePsychology

Sociology

Human Nature

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• Undertaking by Professor Mike McNamee and Dr Andrew Bloodworth, University of Swansea

RESEARCH

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MAIN CONCLUSIONS• Doping is a behaviour where a doping decision is preceded by instability, a problem

• Common tipping points include:• Career instability, peer pressure, relax from stress, injury before

major event, performance plateau, personal distress outside of sport, physiological weaknesses, finance, end of career etc.

• Wider attitudes:• Social drugs, adolescent peer groups, family support, early

specialisation, sympathy with dopers, supplement use, attitudes of significant others, win at all costs, lack of lifestyle/balance, perception of use

• Personality, culture and society

• Sport specify and in-depth interventions are required

PERSONAL

•Personality (risk taking)•Attitudes•Beliefs (detection)•Values•Morals•Attribution (internal/external)•Low self-esteem•High trait anxiety•Personal distress•Motivation (internal/external)•Low resilience/coping skills

SOCIAL•Family (upbringing)•Relationship with Parents•Peers and peer norms•Social norms

SPORT•Early sport experience (high competition)•Sport norms •Sport culture (professional, profile, sponsorship)•Closed sporting environment•Low regard for health (play on mentality)•Supplement useLIFESTY

LE•Lack of balance in life•Limited nutritional knowledge•Previous lifestyle behaviours(social drugs, alcohol)

PROBLEM•Injury•Transition•Finance (maintain, prospect of)•Change in training•Change in results•Career instability•Family problems•Stress•Fear of failure•Pressure – Individual, societal, peer

INTEN

TIO

N

EX

PER

IEN

CE

HA

BIT

BEH

AV

IOU

R

TIP

PIN

G

PO

INT

AC

TIO

NNEGATI

VE

STOP

POSITIVE (ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED)

REINFORCEMENT

POSITIVE

DABBLE

QU

ES

TIO

NS

INFLU

EN

CE

SUPPLEMENT USE

DOPING2

YEARS

POI

POI

POI

POI

POI

POI

POI

POI

POI

= Point of Intervention

POI

PERSONAL

•Personality (risk taking)•Attitudes•Beliefs (detection)•Values•Morals•Attribution (internal/external)•Low self-esteem•High trait anxiety•Personal distress•Motivation (internal/external)•Low resilience/coping skills

SOCIAL•Family (upbringing)•Relationship with Parents•Peers and peer norms•Social norms

SPORT•Early sport experience (high competition)•Sport norms •Sport culture (professional, profile, sponsorship)•Closed sporting environment•Low regard for health (play on mentality)•Supplement useLIFESTY

LE•Lack of balance in life•Limited nutritional knowledge•Previous lifestyle behaviours(social drugs, alcohol)

PROBLEM•Injury•Transition•Finance (maintain, prospect of)•Change in training•Change in results•Career instability•Family problems•Stress•Fear of failure•Pressure – Individual, societal, peer

INTEN

TIO

N

EX

PER

IEN

CE

HA

BIT

BEH

AV

IOU

R

TIP

PIN

G

PO

INT

AC

TIO

NNEGATI

VE

STOP

POSITIVE (ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED)

REINFORCEMENT

POSITIVE

DABBLE

QU

ES

TIO

NS

INFLU

EN

CE

SUPPLEMENT USE

DOPING2

YEARS

DISCUSSION

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RISK-BASED APPROACH

Information and awareness

Reinforcement of main messagesEmpower use of tools e.g Global

DRO

Education, engagement,

effective decision making, deterrent

tactics

1:1 interventions, professional support

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• Athletes are people first, athletes second and people Have a relationship with risk

• Doping is a ‘risky behaviour’....

....an individual risk

• We need ‘people’ at the heart of our evidenced based risk assessment

•

FINAL THOUGHTS