The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

The relationship between the big five personality traits, impulsivity, and anabolic steroid use

The relationship between the big five personality traits, impulsivity, and anabolic steroid use
The relationship between the big five personality traits, impulsivity, and anabolic steroid use
Background: the increase in the prevalence of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) use has been the subject of study in the last decades. Several studies indicated a strong association between the use of AAS and the performance of risky behaviors mediated by factors such as aggression, impulsivity, depression, and anxiety.

Objective: this study aimed to identify differences in personality trait, impulsivity, and the ability to delay gratification between AAS users and non-users that predispose or serve as a buffering mechanism against its usage and whether it is related to an increased likelihood of engaging in infidelity. Methods: Two hundred and twelve male volunteers (88 AAS users), aged between 21 and 36 years (M = 28.22), completed self-report measures of personality, impulsivity, delayed gratification, and attitudes toward infidelity. Multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression were conducted to establish differences between AAS users and non-users.

Results: the results showed that AAS users displayed an inability to delay gratification, a greater impulsivity, and a more benevolent attitude toward infidelity. AAS users obtained higher scores on openness and neuroticism, which was larger “off-cycle,” although they presented lower scores on extraversion compared to the non-users group. Regression analysis revealed that neuroticism, impulsivity, and delaying gratification scores were significant predictors of AAS usage. In addition, impulsivity functioned as a partial mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and AAS use.

Conclusion: the results of this research highlight a pivotal implication of impulsivity in AAS use in conjunction with neuroticism, openness, and extraversion traits.
1082-6084
236–246
Garcia-Argibay, Miguel
e5a6941e-4dcc-401a-9de4-09557c8856ef
Garcia-Argibay, Miguel
e5a6941e-4dcc-401a-9de4-09557c8856ef

Garcia-Argibay, Miguel (2018) The relationship between the big five personality traits, impulsivity, and anabolic steroid use. Substance Use & Misuse, 54 (2), 236–246. (doi:10.1080/10826084.2018.1512630).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: the increase in the prevalence of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) use has been the subject of study in the last decades. Several studies indicated a strong association between the use of AAS and the performance of risky behaviors mediated by factors such as aggression, impulsivity, depression, and anxiety.

Objective: this study aimed to identify differences in personality trait, impulsivity, and the ability to delay gratification between AAS users and non-users that predispose or serve as a buffering mechanism against its usage and whether it is related to an increased likelihood of engaging in infidelity. Methods: Two hundred and twelve male volunteers (88 AAS users), aged between 21 and 36 years (M = 28.22), completed self-report measures of personality, impulsivity, delayed gratification, and attitudes toward infidelity. Multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression were conducted to establish differences between AAS users and non-users.

Results: the results showed that AAS users displayed an inability to delay gratification, a greater impulsivity, and a more benevolent attitude toward infidelity. AAS users obtained higher scores on openness and neuroticism, which was larger “off-cycle,” although they presented lower scores on extraversion compared to the non-users group. Regression analysis revealed that neuroticism, impulsivity, and delaying gratification scores were significant predictors of AAS usage. In addition, impulsivity functioned as a partial mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and AAS use.

Conclusion: the results of this research highlight a pivotal implication of impulsivity in AAS use in conjunction with neuroticism, openness, and extraversion traits.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 12 August 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 October 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 488753
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/488753
ISSN: 1082-6084
PURE UUID: e6a16e88-0231-49d7-83db-22997ded5487
ORCID for Miguel Garcia-Argibay: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4811-2330

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 05 Apr 2024 16:36
Last modified: 10 Apr 2024 02:15

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Miguel Garcia-Argibay ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×