This paper investigates the relationship between adolescent sport participation and alcohol use, focusing on differences in sport contexts. We also include the wider social context, the role of peers and parents as key variables in our analysis. Our sample consists of a nationally representative sample of 10,992 Icelandic adolescents. The findings indicate that adolescents that participate in formally organized sport clubs are less likely to use alcohol than those that do not. The results obtained for participation in informal sport are in the reverse direction, indicating that adolescents that do only informal sport are more likely to use alcohol than those that do not. Moreover, it was found that the well-known relationship between adolescent alcohol use and having alcohol-using friends was contingent on formal sport participation. We also find that the influence of low parental monitoring and time spent with parents and broken family structure on alcohol use becomes significantly weaker with greater involvement in formal sport. In other words, sport participation in formal sport is more relevant for those groups of adolescents that are at most risk for using alcohol, since it buffers the effects of known risk factors on alcohol use. Participation in informal sport does not, however, show such buffering effects. The findings further highlight the need to consider the wider social context as well as differences in sport organization and sport contexts while studying the potential effects of sports on adolescent alcohol use.

BackgroundThis study investigates the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) among a national representative sample of high school students in Iceland. We test several hypotheses drawn from three perspectives. The first perspective focuses on the use of AAS as an individual phenomenon motivated by the desire to succeed in sport. The second perspective views the use of AAS as shaped by norms and values embedded in social relationships of formally organized sport. The third perspective suggests that factors outside sport, which have been shown to correlate with the use of other substances, predict the use of AAS.MethodWe use logistic regression and predicted probabilities to analyze data from a national representative survey of 11031 Icelandic high school students.ResultsOur results indicated that the use of AAS is not significantly related to participation in formally organized sports. However, it positively relates to fitness and physical training in informal contexts. We found a relatively strong relationship between the use of AAS and the use of illicit substances and a moderate relationship between AAS use and alcohol and tobacco consumption. We also found a significant negative relationship between AAS use and school integration and school achievement, and a significant positive relationship between AAS use and school anomie. The relation between AAS use and family-related variables was weaker. Finally, we found that the relationship between sport participation, physical exercise, and AAS use varies across levels of anomie and integration.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the use of AAS and especially illegal substances should be considered more as a social and a health problem rather than a sport specific issue. We found that high school students participating in fitness and informal training outside of formally organized sport clubs are the main risk group and should be the target of prevention efforts. However, this should not be done at the expense of general risk factors that affect AAS and other substances used by the general population. Finally, we suggest that prevention efforts should target both groups and individuals.

The aim of this study is to test empirically the sociological theory of craftsmanship originally developed by C. Wright Mills, Torstein Veblen, and Howard Becker and later extended by Harper, Sennett, and Fine. We conduct a quantitative analysis based on a nationally representative sample of 10,783 Icelandic adolescents (50.2% girls). We developed a scale measuring craftsmanship that we use to test several hypotheses regarding the role of craftsmanship in sport and education. Our findings provide a consistent empirical support for the theory of craftsmanship. First, they indicate that elements of the craftsmanship theory that have been identified by prior qualitative research go together as predicted to form a coherent theoretical construct and a measurement scale that is both reliable and valid. The craftsmanship scale therefore offers good opportunities for quantitative research in an area that has been exclusively qualitative. Second, our findings indicate that, as predicted, the craftsmanship approach makes schoolwork more meaningful and reduces general feelings of meaninglessness. Third, the findings show, as predicted, that the craftsmanship approach influences school performance in a positive way. Fourth, we find that the positive relationship between sport participation and school performance is in part mediated by craftsmanship. Finally, the findings show that the influence of craftsmanship on school performance is in part mediated by meaninglessness. We discuss the implications of the findings in light of sociological theory, culture and the social context of education and sport.

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Iceland attracted international attention when its national football team qualified for the 2018 Men’s World Cup. This surprise qualification made Iceland the smallest nation to qualify in the 88-year history of the prestigious competition. During the World Cup, life in Iceland seemed to center on the Icelandic team and attract interest and attention from almost every Icelander. But how widespread was the national interest in Iceland’s participation and did the inclusion of Iceland in the competition have any positive social/psychological impact on individuals and/or Icelandic society? Questionnaire data from a sample of the Icelandic population show that there was extensive interest among Icelanders in the participation of the Icelandic team in the World Cup. The findings further show that Iceland’s participation positively affected the mood of Icelanders and created a positive atmosphere among the Icelandic nation, as well as some critical attitudes, at least for the short term.