Background: To complement doping statistics of Anti-doping Sweden and Riksidrottsförbundet, investigating Potential doping behavior/Doping likelihood (PDB/DL) and associated factors could benefit anti-doping research and efforts in combat sports.

Aim of the study: The main aim of this research was to investigate prevalence, doping attitudes, and associated factors (i.e., alcohol/tobacco, formal education level, and doping knowledge, competition frequency, training frequency, overtraining symptoms, and active weight-regulations,) with doping likelihood (DL). The second aim was to compare two sets of comparable groups: Competition group (Non-competitive and competitive) and Gender-specific group (Men and women).

Method: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study investigated prevalence and doping attitudes using several validated questionaries. The participants (37.4 ± 11.7 years) (n=81) were active and registered members in combat sport clubs/dojos in Sweden and contacted via their listed club within the Swedish organization Svenska budo-och kampsportsförbundet.

Results: The prevalence of doping likelihood were approximately 16% of the participants. Men and those who frequently used tobacco and supplements were more prone to DL. Doping likelihood were also higher in practitioners with high training frequency and longer training time. Moreover, the more often practitioners got sick, felt emotionally low, declining in motivation and enthusiasm for exercise or skipping and/or quitting workouts were more prone to DL. Additionally, practitioners with problems in concentration and performance at work or had a decreased libido/ change in menstruation, were also more prone to DL. Conclusively, most competitors reported experienced overtraining syndrome and reported a higher volume of training than non-competitors. Competitors also had more difficulties managing bodyweight than non-competitors. The gender-specific results reported a higher leniency towards doping in men compared to women.

Conclusion: The prevalence of doping likelihood is approximately 16% of the participants. Competitors experienced overtraining symptoms more than non-competitors. Women had lower doping likelihood (PDB) compared to their male counterpart, but considering the small sample of female practitioners it would be beneficial for anti-doping research to continue investigating gender-specific determinants of doping likelihood.