Use of anabolic androgenic steroids and their psychological consequences in female users: a systematic review

Abstract

The use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) by female athletes and recreational users has been on the rise worlwide. The reasons range from improving performance, endurance to body composition. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the relationship between the use of ASS and the effects and/or psychopathologies acquired from their use. The research was conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, PsycInfo and ScienceDirect databases, from 2014 to 2023. The Appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies (AXIS) was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies, having a total of ten articles, where the main findings at the psychological level by the consumption and abuse of ASS are observed. It concluded that the use of ASS in women is directly associated with psychological alterations, with the possibility of acquiring some psychopathology from the prolonged use of these substances.