A large number of studies have already dealt with steroid consumption in leisure and popular sports. The aim of this explorative study was to give an insight into the anabolic steroid use among male sports students in Germany. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with n = 5 participants, all steroid-users and fellow students recruited by the third author, were conducted. Through the interviews we explored data on individual perceptions of active users with academic background and access to expertise. The interview guide is based on international findings concerning doping/steroid abuse within the framework of social differentiation theory (Alexander & Colomy, 1990; Stichweh, 2012). The study's results indicate that it is primarily the health factor that influences the planning, execution and control of steroid consumption among male sports students. Physical appearance forms a constant reason for substitution, besides the subjectively perceived pressure of physical performance inside and outside high-performance sports. However, explorative data reveal that universities’ performance requirements do not lead to steroid use.

Tom Gramel

Papers

Steroid use among male sports students in Germany