| The current study estimates the relationship between anabolic-androgenic steroids and violent behavior. Data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health is utilized as Wave III respondent answers from young adults ranging from 17-26 years old. Key demographic questions—age, race/ethnicity, Hispanicity, parental social status, and gender—are included as measures for analysis. Four additional measures derived from leading sociological theories are also included in the multivariate analysis to assess the hypothesis that the steroids/violence association is explained by social factors rather than the effect of steroids on brain functioning.
Binary logistic regression showed that a statistically significant association between anabolic-androgenic steroids and each of four different measures of violent behaviors exists. When included in the multivariate analysis, sociological and demographic measures accounted for a noteworthy reduction in the relationship but did not eliminate the association in its entirety. Limitations of the study are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.
Keywords: AAS, violent, steroids, testosterone, violence |