Examination of the Impact of Substance Use on Sport Training and Competition in Collegiate Athletes

Objectives: There is a need to psychometrically develop self-report measures of substance use in athletes, particularly those that assess the impact substance use has on sport performance. Method: In this study, a four-item measure assessing the extent to which alcohol and illicit drug use interfere with sport performance in training and competition, validated measures of psychiatric symptomology and substance use frequency, and a structured clinical interview assessing substance use diagnostic criteria were administered (N=285 athletes). Results: One-week test-retest reliability of the four-item measure was good, and positive relationships between this set of items and validated measures of psychiatric symptomology, substance use frequency, and age were found. Males demonstrated higher scores on the four-item measure, and its scores were not influenced by ethnicity and athlete type (NCAA, club, intramural). In a sub-sample of 74 participants who reported substance use and interest in pursuing psychological intervention, there was a non-significant trend for participants who were diagnosed with a substance use disorder to demonstrate higher scores on the four-item measure of substance use interference with sport performance than participants who were not diagnosed with a current substance use disorder (p = .08). Conclusion: Results suggest the developed four-item measure may be helpful in determining the extent to which substance use impacts sport training and competition in collegiate athletes.