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Title
The Association Between the Nonmedical use of Anabolic–Androgenic Steroids and Interpersonal Violence: A Meta-Analysis
Author(s)
Publication Date
2024-04
Early Online Version
Abstract
<p>The nonmedical use of anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS) by athletes and the general population is a public health concern. One particular concern relates to the link between AAS use and violence. Although there is a growing body of research on the association between AAS and violence, results as to what the relationship is seem to be mixed. The aim of this meta-analysis is to improve our understanding of what the current evidence base indicates regarding the relationship between the use of AAS and interpersonal violence. In total, 14 studies with a total of 16 samples met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total sample size of 137,055 participants. The findings show that there is a significant association between AAS use and interpersonal violence (<i>r</i>= .21 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.15, 0.27], <i>p</i>< .00001), although small. It is however unclear what the direction of this relationship is as almost all studies failed to demonstrate whether AAS use occurred prior or subsequent to the violent behavior. Risk of bias for most studies was moderate or high. Three potential moderators, AAS use via self-report or testing, interpersonal violence via self-report or criminal records of violent behavior, and proportion of males, were nonsignificant. Although a meta-analytic relationship between AAS use and interpersonal violence was found, it is unclear to what extent AAS causes violent acts. We need to carefully consider the role of mediating factors, and that the relationship between the two could be part of a broader context as opposed to AAS being the cause of violence.</p>
Publication Type
Journal Article
Source of Publication
Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 25(2), p. 1484-1495
Publisher
Sage Publications, Inc
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020
2023-07-19
Place of Publication
United States of America
ISSN
1552-8324
1524-8380
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020
Peer Reviewed
Yes
HERDC Category Description
Peer Reviewed
Yes
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