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Given the sensitive nature of performance-enhancing drug use or doping in sport, obtaining reliable information on attitudes to doping may be severely compromised by socially desirable responding.

The influence of social desirability on the relationship between attitudes to doping and doping susceptibility was examined in 224 Australian athletes. Participants completed a questionnaire package containing items tapping the three constructs of interest. Data analyses focused on mediation and moderation effects using structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression analysis respectively.

Structural equation modelling analyses showed social desirability to partially mediate the association between doping attitudes and doping susceptibility, whereas regression analyses revealed strong support for the presence of a moderation effect of social desirability.