Association of risky driving behavior with psychiatric disorders among Iranian drivers: A case-control study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the possible association between psychological disorders and risky driving behavior (RDB) in Iran.

METHODS

This case-control study conducted in Shiraz, Iran in 2021. The case group included drivers with psychological disorders and the control group included those without any disorders. The inclusion criteria for selecting patients were: active driving at the time of the study, being 18 - 65 years old, having a driving license, having a psychological disorder including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety spectrum disorder, or psychotic disorder spectrum confirmed by a psychiatrist, and completing an informed consent form. The exclusion criterion was the existence of conditions that interfered with answering and understanding the questions. The inclusion criteria for selecting the healthy cases were: active driving at the time of the study, being 18 - 65 years old, having a driving license, lack of any past or present history of psychiatric problems, and completing an informed consent form. The data were gathered using a researcher-made checklist and Manchester driving behavior questionnaire. First, partition around medoids method was used to extract clusters of RDB. Then, backward logistic regression was applied to investigate the association between the independent variables and the clusters of RDB.

RESULTS

The sample comprised of 344 (153 with psychological disorder and 191 without confirmed psychological disorder) drivers. Backward elimination logistic regression on total data revealed that share of medical expenditure ≤ 10% of total household expenditure (OR = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.48 - 7.24), psychological disorder (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.67 - 5.70), and substance abuse class (OR = 6.38, 95% CI: 3.55 - 11.48) were associated with high level of RDB.

CONCLUSION

Substance abuse, psychological illnesses, and share of medical costs from total household expenditure were found to be main predictors of RDB. Further investigations are necessary to explain the impact of different psychological illnesses on driving behavior.

The association between the score of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity traits and risky driving behaviors with alcohol intake and narcotics consumption among Iranian motorcyclists

BACKGROUND

Motorcycle drivers are among the most vulnerable road users, accounting for a large proportion of global traffic accidents. This study aimed to investigate the association between the score of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) traits and risky driving behaviors (RDB) with alcohol intake (AI) and narcotics consumption (NC) among motorcyclists in Iran.

METHODS

This multi-center cross-sectional study encompassed 1747 motorcyclists from three cities in Iran. A random sampling method was applied in this study, and the required data was collected using three standard questionnaires on ADHD, substance abuse, and RDB. Independent sample t-test, covariance analysis, and quantile regression (QR) were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The results of t-test and analysis of covariance indicated that AI and NC were significantly associated with ADHD score and RDB among the motorcycle drivers. Additionally, the QR models showed that these effects were significant at all quantiles of ADHD and RDB, even for individuals who were at lower quantiles.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the potential dangers of driving after AI and NC, appropriate measures should be adopted before certifying a driving license to screen ADHD as a predisposing factor for substance abuse and RDB. Furthermore, it is essential to equip traffic police with adequate diagnosis kits and establish heavy penalties for the offenders. In this regard, all interventions aimed to reduce traffic accidents among motorcycle drivers should be done considering the interrelationship between ADHD, RDB, and substance abuse.

Association between Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Driving Behaviors among Iranian Motorcyclists

Objective

To investigate the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) score and driving behaviors among motorcycle drivers in Iran.

Methods

This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted on 1747 motorcyclists in three cities of Iran. We used a random sampling method in this study and gathered data using two standard questionnaires. Data were presented using descriptive statistics, also t-test, and ANOVA used for analysis.

Results

The mean age of participants was 27.41±8.80 years. ADHD scores of the participants ranged from 0 to 87, with a mean score 31±15.86. All risky driving behaviors (RDBs) were significantly associated with a higher mean of ADHD score. For example, driving with illegal speed (p<0.001), not wearing a crash helmet (p=0.016), driving while exhausting (p<0.001), talking with other passengers (p<0.001), being fined by the police in the past year (p=0.028), and maneuvering while driving (p<0.001) were related to a higher mean of ADHD score.

Conclusion

All RDBs were significantly associated with the ADHD score among motorcyclists in Iran. In this regard, health care providers should inform people with ADHD about the negative consequences associated with driving and ADHD. Public health policymakers should consider management of ADHD through a comprehensive approach to improve driving performance and competencies among motorcyclists in order to decrease RDBs and traffic accidents.