Doping Self-Regulatory Efficacy Among Elite Athletes in Nigeria

The increasing gains attributed to sports motivate athletes to strive for victory by any means, including doping. This study seeks to ascertain the doping self-regulatory efficacy of elite athletes in Nigeria. The descriptive survey design guided the study with 206 elite-athletes (mean = 26.3 years, ±12.20) from across the six geographical zones of Nigeria voluntarily participating in the study. Athletes signed informed consent, and confidentiality was rigorously maintained after ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Committee of the University of Ibadan. ANOVA, Pearson (r), and Cramer's V tested all hypotheses for relationship and the extent of such associations. Findings revealed a strong relationship across age and gender (F(3, 202) = 2.74, p = 0.044) when athletes were encouraged to enhance their performance but a weak association with sports category (ɸc = 0.100). Doping self-efficacy indicated a weak-negative correlation with age (r = -.066, p = .93, p < .05) but a weak-positive relationship with gender (r= .066, p= .3463). The study concludes that athletes in Nigeria demonstrate a high doping-self-efficacy in avoiding doping, regardless of stressors.