Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Moral Disengagement Mechanisms on tendency to doping with the mediating role of Social Desirability in professional athletes.
Methods & Materials: The present study was descriptive-correlational and applied in terms of purpose that information was collected in the field. The statistical population of the study included all professional athletes in Shiraz city. Due to the high volume of the statistical population and Morgan table, 384 professional athletes in various sports were considered and the Convenience Sampling method was used. Data for the present study were collected through three questionnaires including Moral Disengagement Mechanisms questionnaire by Ring et al (2018) with Cronbach's alpha of 0.98, questionnaire of Social Desirability by Stober (2001) with Cronbach's alpha of 0.97, and questionnaire of Tendency to Doping by Petrozi (2007) with Cronbach's alpha of 0.89. Structural equation models in PLS3 software were used to analyze the data.
Results: The results showed that the moral disengagement mechanisms have a direct and significant effect on the two variables of social desirability and tendency to doping. Also, these mechanisms can indirectly affect the tendency to doping in professional athletes mediating by social desirability.
Conclusion: Therefore, whatever moral disengagement prevails in athletes; with manners such as irresponsibility, justifying and believing in the acquisition of external values (such as cups and medals, instead of promotion and personal growth in sports); social desirability among athletes would be increased which in turn increases tendency to doping.