Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use as a Complicating Factor in the Female Athlete Triad: Behavioral Implications for Sport Psychology

Abstract

In 1992, recognizing a ubiquitous pattern of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis among young women participating in competitive sports, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) initiated a dialogue about the Female Athlete Triad. Since then, members of ACSM and other professional societies have offered theoretical models for reducing problem behaviors, but few have conceptualized how the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) might exacerbate symptoms of the Triad, and by extension, complicate the work of sport psychology consultants in applied settings. The current article offers such a conceptualization, proposing strategies for behavior change grounded in appeals to self-efficacy and task performance, as opposed to emotion-based testimonials and threats of imminent maladies.