Teammate and training partner support in recreational triathletes doping attitudes and concerns

Summary: 

In order to ensure that all levels of sport remain clean, researchers and anti-doping advocates must expand their work to include recreational athletes. To that end, this study explores the ways that recreational triathletes experience social support from their teammates/ training partners and how such support impacts doping attitudes/behaviors. In particular, the study explores whether or not social support from peers leads to a greater willingness to engage in anti-doping education. Additionally, in order to more effectively create educational resources for recreational triathletes the current study gathers information related to what recreational triathletes would like to experience during such education. This research is based on the following hypotheses:

• When controlling for goal orientation, fear of failure, and self-efficacy, received social support from teammates and training partners would result in willingness to participate in anti-doping education and positive anti-doping attitudes.
• In accordance with Self-Determination Theory, intrinsic motivation will demonstrate the strongest relationship to positive anti-doping attitudes when compared with other forms of motivation (e.g., extrinsic motivation).

This research aims to address the following questions:

• What kinds of topics do recreational triathletes want to see in anti-doping trainings?
• What would make recreational triathletes likely to participate in anti-doping trainings?
• How would recreational triathletes want to consume anti-doping trainings?
• How long would recreational triathletes be willing to spend participating in anti-doping trainings?

Methodology

The research questions are answered using a cross-sectional/mixed-method design in which both qualitative and quantitative indicators will be used.

Triathlon clubs, coaches, and race organizers were identified and asked to share the online questionnaire with their network via email or secure messaging (e.g., closed message boards). Additionally, participants were recruited in-person at one local Olympic length triathlon After completing the survey participants.

Participants consisted of 542 individuals who identified as recreational triathletes (those that do not make the majority of their income from triathlon).

Results

The initial hypotheses were not supported. Among recreational triathletes, social support from training partners does not influence anti-doping attitudes. For many recreational triathletes, their training partners may be relationships of convenience; that is, they are not ‘officially’ training partners, but simply friends who train together when possible. Among elite athletes, these relationships may have different implications. To date, research has mainly focused on support staff, but how training partners and peers may influence (anti-)doping attitudes has rarely been explored.

Qualitative data indicated that there is a contingent of recreational triathletes who are simply not interested in anti-doping training due to their perception that they are ‘clean’.

Recreational triathletes expressed an interest in learning how to avoid doping and how doping is regulated.

The results indicated that there are six different topic areas that recreational triathletes would like to see covered in anti-doping trainings: impacts, doping inclusions, regulation, incidentals, advice, and avoidance.

Eight unique themes were identified: money, discounts, gear, mandatory requirements, food, social events, education, integrity. More broadly these themes could be classified into extrinsic and intrinsic incentives/motivators.

The results show that the majority of participants (approximately 75%) would prefer for anti-doping trainings to occur online. Others would still prefer that these trainings occur in-person (approximately 8%), while still others (approximately 7%) stated they had no preference as to online/in-person training and would engage with either.  

This study shows that participants who are willing to participate in anti-doping trainings are willing to spend up to 1 hour (M = 65.12 minutes, Range = 5-480 minutes, SD = 73.34) in anti-doping trainings.

Significance for Clean Sport

This research holds significant implications for the anti-doping movement and the broader goal of maintaining clean sport, particularly as it pertains to recreational athletes:

• Broadening the Scope of Anti-Doping Efforts:  This study underscores the importance of extending anti-doping education efforts to recreational athletes, who form a large part of the sporting community. By including recreational athletes in anti-doping education, the movement towards a universally clean sport environment becomes more comprehensive and robust.
• Social Support and Doping Attitudes: The study questions the hypothesis that peer social support strongly influences recreational athletes' anti-doping attitudes. This finding suggests that strategies should not overly rely on peer influence in this context, but instead focus on other motivational factors, such as intrinsic motivation, which the research hints might be more relevant.
• Designing Effective Anti-Doping Education: The research provides insights into what recreational athletes want from anti-doping education. By identifying the preferred topics, methods of delivery, and time commitments that athletes are willing to engage in, anti-doping agencies can tailor their educational programs to be more effective and appealing. For instance, the preference for online training could lead to the development of more accessible digital resources.
• Incentivizing Participation: The study reveals that various incentives, both intrinsic and extrinsic, could motivate recreational athletes to participate in anti-doping training. The idea of offering a "clean athlete" sticker is particularly interesting as it taps into athletes' desire for recognition and integrity. Such incentives could increase participation rates in anti-doping education, thus fostering a culture of clean sport among recreational athletes.
• Implications for Policy and Practice: The study's findings could inform the policies and practices of anti-doping organizations. For instance, understanding that a significant portion of recreational athletes might not see the relevance of anti-doping education because they perceive themselves as already "clean" highlights the need for educational campaigns that effectively communicate the risks of unintentional doping and the importance of ongoing education, even for those who consider themselves low-risk.

In conclusion, this research emphasizes the need for more nuanced and targeted anti-doping strategies that account for the unique perspectives and motivations of recreational athletes. By addressing these factors, anti-doping organizations can enhance the effectiveness of their educational programs and contribute to a broader culture of clean sport at all levels.