STABILITY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ANABOLIC-STEROID USE AND MULTIPLE SUBSTANCE USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Background: In a previous study, we tested the hypothesis that because adolescent anabolic steroid users are concerned with increasing muscl e size and strength they are different from other substance users and are unlikely to use other drugs. Alternatively, if the causal factors of anabolic steroid use are similar to those for use of other substanc es, then adolescent anabolic steroid users would be expected to report poly drug use. Study findings confirmed the second hypothesis. Purpos e: To test the stability of the relationships between anabolic steroid use and poly drug use over a four month period among ninth grade stud ents. Methods: All ninth grade students (1422) enrolled in compulsory health science classes in a county school system who had previously co mpleted a modified version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prev ention's 1989 Health Risk Survey and the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Surv ey in November 1990 were asked to repeat the survey in February 1998. Results: A higher percentage of males (4.7 percent) than females (2.9 percent, P less-than-or-equal-to 0.018) reported anabolic steroid use without a doctor's prescription. As was found in the initial study, fr equency of anabolic steroid use was significantly (P < 0.001) associat ed with frequency of use in the last 30 days of cocaine, injectable dr ugs, alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. When those variables were analyzed with multiple regression analysis, the same f our variables continued to be the best predictors of the frequency of anabolic steroid use, although the order that the variables entered in to the multiple regression model changed. Use of smokeless tobacco, sh ared needles, cocaine, and marijuana explained more variation in the f requency of anabolic steroid use in the replication study (48.5%) than initially (32.8%). Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that adolescent anabolic steroid users are also likely to use other d rugs and are engaging in shared needle use. These relationships remain ed relatively stable over a four month period of time.