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psychology at Brooklyn CollegeCUNY. Paul C. McCabe is an associate professor in the graduate program in school psychology at Brooklyn CollegeCUNY. (NASP). Articles and related handouts can be downloaded at www.naspcenter.org/principals. sive behavior among several members of the school's foot- high school has become increasingly concerned. One student, Jason, had no history of behavior problems the previous year. However, he returned to school transformed, with a lot more muscle and attitude. Although the coach was pleased with Jason's perfor- mance during the season, even he has expressed some concerns about Jason's behavior on and off the field. He had also heard rumors that Jason may have been experimenting with steroids, so he expressed his concerns to the principal. Together, they engage the school support team to intervene with Jason and then to evaluate the scope of steroid use among other students. This scenario is not unique. Al- though steroid abuse is usually associ- ated with professional athletes seeking to improve their competitive edge, it is also a dangerous form of substance image) and to implement prevention and intervention efforts that reduce steroid use among students. thetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. Steroids are legally available only by prescription to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testoster- one, such as delayed puberty, some types of impotence, and body-wasting diseases such as AIDS. Steroid use causes the body to retain nitrogen, which in combination with exercise, training, and high protein diets, promotes increased size and strength of muscles, improves endurance, and decreases recovery time between workouts. Physical changes and health risks. When excess testosterone from steroids is converted to estrogens, male users may experience breast enlargement and testicular atrophy. In the female body, anabolic steroids cause irreversible mas- culine effects, such as growing facial hair, deepening voice, clitoral hypertrophy, and male pattern baldness. Severe acne, increased libido, and adverse effects on the reproductive system also may occur. Steroids can affect growth and matura- tion because the artificially increased and girls, athletes and non-athletes, are susceptible, and the physical and psy- chological risks are significant. Accord- ing to Monitoring the Future, a long- term national study on drug abuse in adolescents, the 2005 prevalence rates for steroid use were 1.2%, 1.8%, 2.6% for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade boys and 0.9%, 0.7%, 0.4% for girls, respectively. Equally alarming from an education standpoint, between 1998 and 2003, the percentage of 12th-grade students who perceived steroids as risky and disap- proved their use dropped from 68% to 55%, despite increased health warn- ings (Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2006). Given the risks associated with steroids and their continued acceptance among adolescents, it is important that school administrators work with staff members to understand motivating factors related to abuse and be prepared to address external risks (mass media exposure and peer culture) and internal effective prevention programs and interventions. |
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