Direct and indirect effects of impulsivity traits on drinking and driving in young adults

Perceptions and Attitudes Related to Driving after Cannabis Use in Canadian and US Adults

BACKGROUND

This study examined the risk perceptions related to driving after cannabis use (DACU) among Canadian and US adults who used cannabis in the past six months.

METHODS

Perceptions of danger, normative beliefs, perceived likelihood of negative consequences, and other driving-related variables were collected via online surveys in Canadian (n = 158; 50.0% female, 84.8% White, mean age = 32.73 years [SD = 10.61]) and US participants (n = 678; 50.9% female, 73.6% White, mean age = 33.85 years [SD = 10.12]). Driving cognitions and DACU quantity/frequency were compared between samples using univariate analyses of variance, and Spearman's (ρ) correlations were performed to examine associations between driving cognitions and DACU quantity/frequency.

RESULTS

The two samples did not significantly differ in self-reported level of cannabis use, lifetime quantity of DACU, or the number of times they drove within two hours of cannabis use in the past three months (Ps > .12). Compared to US participants, Canadians perceived driving within two hours of cannabis use as more dangerous (P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.013) and reported more of their friends would disapprove of DACU (P = 0.03, ηp2 = 0.006). There were no differences in the number of friends who would refuse to ride with a driver who had used cannabis (P = 0.15) or the perceived likelihood of negative consequences (Ps > 0.07). More favorable perceptions were significantly correlated with greater lifetime DACU and driving within two hours of use (ρ = 0.25-0.53, Ps < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings reveal differences in distal risk factors for DACU between Canada and the US and may inform prevention efforts focusing on perceptions of risk and social acceptance of DACU.

Associations between specific sleep and circadian characteristics and alcohol use disorder criteria and problems

Given the significant heterogeneity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the increasing priority to understand individual profiles of AUD, pursuing symptom-level examinations of AUD is important. Disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms have demonstrated robust associations with alcohol consumption and AUD, yet little research has examined these associations at the symptom- or problem-levels and research to date has focused on one or two sleep/circadian characteristics. We sought to investigate the associations between (a) specific AUD symptoms and (b) domains of alcohol-related problems, and multiple sleep characteristics, collected at a daily level in the naturalistic environment. Young adult drinkers were recruited from the community (N = 159, Mage = 23.9, 58.5% female, 6.3% Asian, 35.9% Black or African American, 51.6% White, 5.0% multiracial) and completed a baseline visit as well as up to 18 days of naturalistic assessment. Several sleep/circadian characteristics, including eveningness, later midsleep timing, and shorter total sleep time, were consistently associated with the hazardous use symptom, above and beyond alcohol consumption. Eveningness (beta[SE] = 0.21[0.00], p <.01) was a significant predictor of the alcohol-related problem domain of role interference. Exploratory analyses did not find significant associations between sleep/circadian characteristics and cannabis-related problems. The relationship between sleep/circadian characteristics and AUD and related problems may be driven by a narrower set of symptoms, such as hazardous use and role interference. This may be due to shared mechanistic dysfunction in domains such as reward processing or cognitive control. Thus, these alcohol-related symptoms and problems may be addressed through transdiagnostic treatment approaches that target these underlying mechanisms.

Pathways of personality and learning risk for addictive behaviors: A systematic review of mediational research on the Acquired Preparedness model

OBJECTIVE

The Acquired Preparedness (AP) model proposes that impulsive personality traits predispose some individuals to learn certain behavior-outcome associations (expectancies), and that these expectancies in turn influence the escalation of risky behaviors. This theory has been applied to the development of behaviors such as drinking, drug use, gambling, and disordered eating. In the current study, we aimed to summarize empirical tests of this model over the 20 years since it was proposed.

METHOD

We used a descriptive approach to summarize tests of mediation across 50 studies involving n=21,715 total participants.

RESULTS

We observed a consistent effect of personality on expectancies (median effect size = .22), of expectancies on behavior (.24), and a small mediated effect (.05) of personality on behavior via expectancies. Impulsive traits that involve positive or negative affect showed the most consistent support for AP, as did positive expectancies. Most studies testing AP focused on alcohol, but research on other behaviors also showed support for AP.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature appears to support a small mediated effect consistent with the AP model. Future research should continue to clarify which AP pathways are most influential in explaining risky behaviors, and supplement correlational research with experimental and quasi-experimental designs.

Understanding mechanisms underlying the relationship between antisocial personality disorder and substance-impaired driving among young adults involved with the justice system as minors

INTRODUCTION

Antisocial personality disorder is a risk factor associated with increased risk for substance-impaired driving. While past research has focused on identifying prevalence rates for the disorder among substance-impaired drivers, there is a dearth of research focused on identifying the mechanisms by which the disorder actually functions to increase risk for the behavior among young adults who were formerly adjudicated for a serious offense. There are cognitive, affective, and social mechanisms that may help to explain this relationship.

METHOD

Impulse control, hostility, and deviant peer association are examined as mechanisms that explain the relationship in each of these domains, respectively. The Pathways to Desistance data were utilized in analyses, comprising the responses of 1,354 youth who were adjudicated for a serious offense just prior to baseline measurements. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct effects of antisocial personality disorder on substance-impaired driving risk and the hypothesized mechanism variables were then included in the model to determine which of them provided significant pathways through which the main relationship operated.

RESULTS

Results indicated that meeting criteria for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased risk of substance-impaired driving at follow-up. This relationship was attenuated to non-significance upon inclusion of the mechanism variables and reduced in magnitude by 20%. This attenuation was due almost entirely to impulse control. Practical Applications: This provides indication that intervention for substance-impaired driving offenders with antisocial personality disorder may be most effective when structured around improving impulse control for young adults who were previously involved with the juvenile/criminal justice system.

Impulsivity, Self-control, Interpersonal Influences, and Maladaptive Cognitions as Factors of Internet Gaming Disorder Among Adolescents in China: Cross-sectional Mediation Study

Background

Gaming disorder, including internet gaming disorder (IGD), was recently defined by the World Health Organization as a mental disease in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Thus, reducing IGD is warranted. Maladaptive cognitions related to internet gaming (MCIG) have been associated with IGD, while impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences are key risk factors of IGD. Previous literature suggests that MCIG is associated with the aforementioned 4 risk factors and IGD, and may thus mediate between these risk factors and IGD. These potential mediations, if significant, imply that modification of MCIG may possibly alleviate these risk factors’ harmful impacts on increasing IGD. These mediation hypotheses were tested in this study for the first time.

Objective

This study tested the mediation effects of MCIG between intrapersonal factors (impulsivity and self-control) and IGD, and between interpersonal factors (parental influences and peer influences) and IGD among adolescents in China.

Methods

An anonymous, cross-sectional, and self-administered survey was conducted among secondary school students in classroom settings in Guangzhou and Chengdu, China. All grade 7 to 9 students (7 to 9 years of formal education) of 7 secondary schools were invited to join the study, and 3087 completed the survey. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) checklist was used to assess IGD. MCIG was assessed by using the Chinese version of the Revised Internet Gaming Cognition Scale. Impulsivity, self-control, and parental or peer influences were measured by using the motor subscale of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, and the modified interpersonal influence scale, respectively. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the mediation effects of MCIG between these risk factors and IGD.

Results

The prevalence of IGD was 13.57% (418/3081) and 17.67% (366/2071) among all participants and adolescent internet gamers, respectively. The 3 types of MCIG (perceived rewards of internet gaming, perceived urges for playing internet games, and perceived unwillingness to stop playing without completion of gaming tasks) were positively associated with IGD. Impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences were all significantly associated with the 3 types of MCIG and IGD. The 3 types of MCIG partially mediated the associations between the studied factors and IGD (effect size of 30.0% to 37.8%).

Conclusions

Impulsivity, self-control, and interpersonal influences had both direct and indirect effects via MCIG on IGD. Modifications of the 3 types of MCIG can potentially reduce the harmful impacts of impulsivity and interpersonal influences on IGD and enhance the protective effect of self-control against IGD. Future longitudinal studies are warranted.

Applying Bayesian cognitive models to decisions to drive after drinking

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Despite widespread negative perceptions, the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) in the United States remains unacceptably high. This study used a novel decision task to evaluate whether individuals considered both ride service cost and alcohol consumption level when deciding whether or not to drive, and whether the resulting strategy was associated with engagement in AID.

DESIGN

A two-sample study, where sample 1 developed a novel AID decision task to classify participants by decision strategy. Sample 2 was used to cross-validate the task and examine whether decision strategy classifications were predictive of prior reported AID behavior.

SETTING

A laboratory setting at the University of Missouri, USA.

PARTICIPANTS

Sample 1 included 38 student participants from introductory psychology classes at the University of Missouri. Sample 2 included 67 young adult participants recruited from the local community.

MEASUREMENTS

We developed a decision task that presented hypothetical drinking scenarios that varied in quantity of alcohol consumption (one to six drinks) and the cost of a ride service ($5-25). We applied a Bayesian computational model to classify choices as consistent with either: integrating both ride cost and consumption level (compensatory) or considering only consumption level (non-compensatory) when making hypothetical AID decisions. In sample 2, we assessed established AID risk factors (sex, recent alcohol consumption, perceived safe limit) and recent (past 3 months) engagement in AID.

FINDINGS

In sample 1, the majority of participants were classified as using decision strategies consistent with either a compensatory or non-compensatory process. Results from sample 2 replicated the overall classification rate and demonstrated that participants who used a compensatory strategy were more likely to report recent AID, even after accounting for study covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

In a hypothetical alcohol-impaired driving (AID) decision task, individuals who considered both consumption level and ride service cost were more likely to report recent AID than those who made decisions based entirely on consumption level.

Alcohol use in daily life: Examining the role of trait and state impulsivity facets

OBJECTIVES

Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods we aimed to investigate the influence of trait and state (momentary) impulsivity on alcohol use behaviors in daily life. Facets of the UPPS trait model of impulsivity (Whiteside & Lynam, 2001) have been found to differentially relate to alcohol-related outcomes and behaviors in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The present work expands on this by assessing UPPS facets in daily life and examining the contributions of trait and state impulsivity facets to daily life drinking behavior.

METHOD

Forty-nine participants were prompted at least 6 times per day for 21 days. A total of 4,548 collected EMA reports were included in analyses. Multilevel models were computed predicting daily life alcohol use behaviors from state and trait impulsivity facets and relevant covariates.

RESULTS

Individual facets of momentary impulsivity differentially related to alcohol outcomes, such that (lack of) premeditation and, to a lesser extent, sensation seeking showed unique patterns of association with drinking and drinking quantity. Only trait levels of (lack of) premeditation were related to drinking behavior in daily life; no other trait UPPS scale significantly related to alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight state difficulties with premeditation as particularly relevant to drinking behavior in daily life. Our results also support the incremental validity of state impulsivity facets over trait level measures in relation to drinking behavior in daily life. These findings offer important insight into the phenomenology of daily life alcohol use and highlight possible avenues for intervention and prevention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting Gambling Propensity and Behavior: The Role of Social Axioms and Distortive Beliefs

Theory and research have revealed the impact of cognitive factors on propensity for gambling, but the role of generalized beliefs and their underlying mechanisms receive little attention. In the present research, we operationalized generalized beliefs as social axioms (Leung et al. in J Cross Cult Psychol 33:286-302, 2002) and tested how the axiom factors of fate control and social cynicism affected the likelihood to gamble in hypothetical scenarios (Study 1) and the actual behaviour of gambling (Study 2). In Study 1, we found that both fate control and social cynicism positively predicted the propensity to participate in horse betting and casino gambling among university students (n = 184). The effect of fate control was mediated by perceived benefit of gambling, whereas social cynicism affected gambling propensity directly. In Study 2, we showed the same effects of fate control and social cynicism on gambling frequency among at-risk adolescents (n = 547), and identified two types of gambling-related cognition (i.e., distortive gambling cognitions and attitudes towards money) as mediators. Overall, this research provided evidence for the importance of social beliefs in formulating specific gambling cognitions and gambling behaviours, shedding light on intervention strategies for helping frequent gamblers through altering their worldviews in general and risk-taking beliefs in particular.

Sex differences in the association between impulsivity and driving under the influence of alcohol in young adults: The specific role of sensation seeking

INTRODUCTION

There is an outstanding need to identify predictors of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) among young adults, particularly women. Impulsivity, or the tendency to act without thinking, is a predictor of DUI, but the specific facets of impulsivity that predict DUI and their interaction with sex differences remain unclear. We aimed to investigate sex differences in the link between impulsivity facets and DUI. Moreover, we sought to replicate previous findings regarding sex differences on impulsivity, and associations between impulsivity facets and DUI.

METHOD

A total of 506 university students participated in the study (males, n = 128; females, n = 378). Participants completed measures of impulsivity (UPPS-P short version), alcohol use (AUDIT-C), frequency of DUI episodes and related perception of risk. The UPPS-P assesses five facets of impulsivity: sensation seeking, (lack of) premeditation and perseverance and positive and negative urgency.

RESULTS

Men showed higher sensation seeking and lack of perseverance, alcohol use and DUI frequency and lower risk perception than women. DUI frequency was negatively associated with perception of risk and positively associated with alcohol use and the five impulsivity facets. After controlling for alcohol use and risk perception, only lack of premeditation was associated with DUI frequency in the whole sample. Sensation seeking was positively associated with DUI frequency only in women.

DISCUSSION

The link between lack of premeditation and DUI suggest that pre-drinking planning strategies can contribute to prevent risky driving. In women, specific links between sensation seeking and DUI suggest the need for personality-tailored prevention strategies.

The effects of training impulse control on simulated driving

There is growing interest in young driver training that addresses age-related factors, including incompletely developed impulse control. Two studies investigated whether training of response inhibition can reduce risky simulated driving in young drivers (aged 16-24 years). Each study manipulated aspects of response inhibition training then assessed transfer of training using simulated driving measures including speeding, risky passing, and compliance with traffic controls. Study 1 (n = 65) used a Go/No-go task, Stop Signal Task and a Collision Detection Task. Designed to promote engagement, learning, and transfer, training tasks were driving-relevant and adaptive (i.e. difficulty increased as performance improved), included performance feedback, and were distributed over five days. Control participants completed matching "filler" tasks. Performance on trained tasks improved with training, but there was no significant improvement in simulated driving. Study 2 enhanced response inhibition training using Go/No-go and SST tasks, with clearer performance feedback, and 10 days of training. Control participants completed testing only, in order to avoid any possibility of training response inhibition in the filler tasks. Again performance on trained tasks improved, but there was no evidence of transfer of training to simulated driving. These findings suggest that although training of sufficient interest and duration can improve response inhibition task performance, a training schedule that is likely to be acceptable to the public does not result in improvements in simulated driving. Further research is needed to investigate whether response inhibition training can improve risky driving in the context of real-world motivations for risky driving.

Explicit Attitudes, Working Memory Capacity, and Driving After Drinking

BACKGROUND

Attitudes toward driving after drinking are strongly predictive of drinking and driving behavior. This study tested working memory capacity (WMC) as a moderator of the association between attitudes and drinking and driving behavior. Consistent with dual process models of cognition, we hypothesized that the association between perceived danger and drinking and driving would be stronger for individuals with higher WMC.

METHODS

Participants (N = 161) enrolled in larger alcohol administration study were randomly assigned to an alcohol (n = 57), placebol (n = 52), or control (n = 52, not included) beverage condition. Past-year frequency of driving after drinking and WMC were assessed at baseline. Attitudes were assessed by asking participants to rate the perceived danger of driving at their current level of intoxication twice on the ascending limb (AL1, AL2), at peak breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), and twice on the descending limb (DL1, DL2).

RESULTS

Analyses across the BrAC curve indicated that the hypothesized interaction was observed for the alcohol but not placebo condition. Analyses for each assessment point indicated that the interaction was significant for the ascending limb and peak BrAC. In the alcohol condition, for those higher in WMC, lower perceived dangerousness was strongly associated with increased driving after drinking (AL1: incident rate ratios [IRR] = 5.87, Wald's χ²  = 12.39, p = 0.006, 95% CI [2.19, 15.75]; AL2: IRR = 8.17, Wald's χ²  = 11.39, p = 0.001, 95% CI [2.41, 27.66]; Peak: IRR = 5.11, Wald's χ²  = 9.84, p = 0.002, 95% CI [1.84, 14.16]). Associations were not significant at low WMC.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that individuals higher in WMC are more likely to act consistently with their explicit attitudes toward drinking and driving. Findings may have implications for existing drinking and driving interventions and suggest the potential for novel interventions targeting implicit associations or WMC.

Blunted cortisol reactivity and risky driving in young offenders - a pilot study

Adolescent risky driving is a significant burden on public health. Young offenders (i.e. under custody and supervision of the criminal justice system) may be particularly vulnerable, but research is scant. Previous work indicated that blunted cortisol reactivity to stress is a marker of risk-taking predisposition, including risky driving. In this study, we hypothesized that young offenders display higher levels of risky driving than a non-offender comparison group, and that cortisol reactivity contributes to the variance in risky driving independent of other associated characteristics (i.e. impulsivity, risk taking, alcohol and drug use). We found that young offenders (n = 20) showed riskier driving in simulation than comparison group (n = 9), and blunted cortisol reactivity was significantly associated with risky driving. The results suggest young offenders are prone to risky driving, and that individual differences in the cortisol stress response may be an explanatory factor.

The association of measures of the serotonin system, personality, alcohol use, and smoking with risk-taking traffic behavior in adolescents in a longitudinal study

Studies on the neurobiological basis of risk-taking behavior have most often focused on the serotonin system. The promoter region of the gene encoding the serotonin transporter contains a polymorphic site (5-HTTLPR) that is important for the transcriptional activity, and studies have demonstrated its association with brain activity and behavior. Another molecular mechanism that reflects the capacity of the central serotonin system is the activity of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) as measured in platelets. The purpose of the present study was to examine how measures of the serotonin system (platelet MAO activity and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism), personality variables, alcohol use and smoking are associated with risk-taking traffic behavior in schoolchildren through late adolescence. The younger cohort of the longitudinal Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (originally n = 583) filled in questionnaires about personality traits, smoking status, alcohol use and traffic behavior at age 15 and 18 years. From venous blood samples, platelet MAO activity was measured radioenzymatically and 5-HTTLPR was genotyped. During late adolescence, subjects with lower platelet MAO activity were more likely to belong to the high-risk traffic behavior group. Male 5-HTTLPRs'-allele carriers were more likely to belong to the high-risk traffic behavior group compared to the l'/l' homozygotes. Other variables predicting risk group were alcohol use, smoking and Maladaptive impulsivity.The results suggest that lower capacity of the serotoninergic system is associated with more risky traffic behavior during late adolescence, but possibly by different mechanisms in boys and girls.

Continuity of drunk and drugged driving behaviors four years post-college

BACKGROUND

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a leading cause of injury and premature death among young adults, and college-educated individuals are at particularly high risk. Less is known about driving under the influence of other drugs, which is on the rise.

METHOD

This study describes prospective seven-year trends in alcohol and other drug (AOD)-involved driving among a young-adult sample beginning with their second year of college (i.e., Years 2-8), and documents the extent of continuity in such behaviors across time. Originally recruited as incoming first-year students at one large public university, participants (n=1194) were interviewed annually about how frequently they drove while drunk/intoxicated (DWI), after drinking any alcohol (DAD), and/or while under the influence of other drugs (DD). Follow-up rates were high (>75% annually).

RESULTS

Among participants with access to drive a car, annual prevalence peaked in Year 4 (modal age 21) for both DWI (24.3%_wt) and DD (19.1%_wt) and declined significantly thereafter through Year 8 (both ps<0.05). DAD was far more prevalent than DWI or DD, increasing from 40.5%_wt in Year 2 to 66.9%_wt in Year 5, and plateauing thereafter. Among marijuana-using participants, likelihood of DD was consistently greater than the likelihood of DWI among Heavy Episodic and Light-to-Moderate drinkers, and it declined significantly during Years 5-8 (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Post-college declines in heavy drinking and DWI prevalence were encouraging but did not necessarily translate to reductions in likelihood of engaging in DWI, depending on drinking pattern. College-educated individuals represent an important target for AOD-involved driving prevention.

Drinking-and-Driving-Related Cognitions Mediate the Relationship Between Alcohol Demand and Alcohol-Impaired Driving

OBJECTIVE

Elevated behavioral economic demand for alcohol has been shown to be associated with drinking and driving in college students. The present study sought to clarify the underlying mechanisms of this relationship by examining whether drinking-and-driving-related cognitions (e.g., attitudes, perceptions, and normative beliefs) mediate the association between alcohol demand and drinking and driving.

METHOD

A total of 134 young adult social drinkers completed an alcohol purchase task and measures of perceived dangerousness of drinking and driving, normative beliefs about drinking and driving, and perceived driving limit (i.e., perceived number of drinks one could consume and still drive safely). The frequency of drinking and driving in the past year was assessed via self-report.

RESULTS

Individuals who reported drinking and driving exhibited greater alcohol demand (intensity, Omax, and elasticity) compared with those who did not engage in drinking and driving. Increased demand was also correlated with more favorable drinking-and-driving cognitions. Indirect effects tests revealed that perceived driving limit partially mediated the relationship between alcohol demand and drinking-and-driving behavior, even after accounting for drinking level, sex, and delay discounting.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide further support for the utility of behavioral economic theory in understanding drinking-and-driving behavior. In particular, they provide evidence for one mechanism-drinking-and-driving-related cognitions-by which alcohol demand influences drinking and driving. Additional research using longitudinal and experimental designs is required to confirm this model and to identify other potential mediators.

Differential Associations of UPPS-P Impulsivity Traits With Alcohol Problems

OBJECTIVE

The UPPS-P model posits that impulsivity comprises five factors: positive urgency, negative urgency, lack of planning, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking. Negative and positive urgency are the traits most consistently associated with alcohol problems. However, previous work has examined alcohol problems either individually or in the aggregate, rather than examining multiple problem domains simultaneously. Recent work has also questioned the utility of distinguishing between positive and negative urgency, as this distinction did not meaningfully differ in predicting domains of psychopathology. The aims of this study were to address these issues by (a) testing unique associations of UPPS-P with specific domains of alcohol problems and (b) determining the utility of distinguishing between positive and negative urgency as risk factors for specific alcohol problems.

METHOD

Associations between UPPS-P traits and alcohol problem domains were examined in two cross-sectional data sets using negative binomial regression models.

RESULTS

In both samples, negative urgency was associated with social/interpersonal, self-perception, risky behaviors, and blackout drinking problems. Positive urgency was associated with academic/occupational and physiological dependence problems. Both urgency traits were associated with impaired control and self-care problems. Associations for other UPPS-P traits did not replicate across samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that negative and positive urgency have differential associations with alcohol problem domains. Results also suggest a distinction between the type of alcohol problems associated with these traits-negative urgency was associated with problems experienced during a drinking episode, whereas positive urgency was associated with alcohol problems that result from longer-term drinking trends.

An examination of the relationship between measures of impulsivity and risky simulated driving amongst young drivers

The risky driving of young drivers may owe in part to youthful motivations (such as experience-seeking, authority rebellion, desire for peer approval) combined with incompletely developed impulse control. Although self-reported impulsiveness has been positively associated with self-reports of risky driving, results based on objective measures of response inhibition (e.g., Go/No-go tasks) have been inconclusive. The present study examined interrelationships between measures of response inhibition, self-report impulsiveness scales, and responses to events during a simulated drive that were designed to detect impulsive, unsafe behaviours (e.g., turning across on-coming traffic). Participants were 72 first-year Psychology students. More speeding and "Unsafe" responding to critical events during simulated driving were associated with poorer impulse control as assessed by commission errors during a Go/No-Go task. These results consolidate evidence for a relationship between impulse control and risky driving amongst young drivers.

Evaluating the Brazilian zero tolerance drinking and driving law: Time series analyses of traffic-related mortality in three major cities

OBJECTIVE

A zero tolerance alcohol restriction law was adopted in Brazil in 2008. In order to assess the effectiveness of this intervention, the present study compares specific mortality in 2 time series: 1980-2007 and 2008-2013.

METHODS

Data on mortality and population were gathered from official Brazilian Ministry of Health information systems. Segmented regression analyses were carried out separately for 3 major Brazilian capitals: Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo.

RESULTS

In 2 cities (Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro) there were no significant changes in mortality rate trends in 2 periods, 1980 to 2007 and 2008 to 2013, where the observed rates did not differ significantly from predicted rates. In São Paulo, a decreasing trend until 2007 unexpectedly assumed higher levels after implementation of the law.

CONCLUSION

There is no evidence of reduced traffic-related mortality in the 3 major Brazilian capitals 5.5 years after the zero tolerance drinking and driving law was adopted.

Unique and interactive effects of impulsivity facets on reckless driving and driving under the influence in a high-risk young adult sample

Risky driving behaviors are disproportionately high among young adults and impulsivity is a robust risk factor. Recent conceptualizations have proposed multidimensional facets of impulsivity comprised of negative urgency, premeditation, perseverance, sensation seeking, and positive urgency (UPPS-P model). Prior studies have found these facets are associated with risky driving behaviors in college student samples, but no prior studies have examined these facets in clinical samples. This study examined the unique and interactive effects of UPPS-P impulsivity facets on past-year risky driving behaviors in a sample of high-risk young adults (ages 18-30 years) with a history of substance use and antisocial behavior and their siblings (n=1,100). Multilevel Poisson regressions indicated that sensation seeking and negative urgency were uniquely and positively associated with both frequency of past-year reckless driving and driving under the influence. Moreover, lack of premeditation was uniquely and positively associated with reckless driving, whereas lack of perseverance was uniquely and positively associated with driving under the influence. Furthermore, lack of premeditation moderated and strengthened the positive association between sensation seeking and driving under the influence. These study findings suggest that assessing multiple facets of trait impulsivity could facilitate targeted prevention efforts among young adults with a history of externalizing psychopathology.

Examination of personality traits and social problem-solving skills of individuals whose driving licenses have been confiscated due to drunk driving

OBJECTIVE

Drunk driving is one of the major behavioral issues connected with problematic alcohol consumption. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between personality traits and social problem-solving skills of individuals who drive while intoxicated.

METHOD

One hundred forty-four individuals apprehended twice while driving drunk and sent to a driver behavior training program (9 females and 135 males) participated in our study. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated (EPQ-RA) composed of 4 subscales (Extroversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism, and Lying) and the Social Problem Solving Inventory (SPSI) composed of 7 subscales (Cognitive, Emotion, Behavior, Problem Definition and Formulation, Creating Solution Options, Solution Implementation and Verification, and Decision Making) were used to evaluate the participants.

RESULTS

A positive relationship was found between the Extroversion subscale of the EPQ-RA and the Cognition subscale (P <.01), Emotion subscale (P <.01), Behavior subscale (P <.01), Generation of Alternatives subscale (P <.01), Decision Making subscale (P <.05), and Solution Implementation and Verification subscale (P <.01). For individuals who repeated intoxicated driving, all subscales of the EPQ-RA (Extroversion, Lying, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism subscales) explained 12% of the scores of the Cognition subscale and 16.2% (P <.001) of the Emotion subscale of the SPSI. There was no significant relationship between the first and second incident alcohol blood levels (P >.05).

CONCLUSION

Drinking and driving behaviors appear to be negative or maladaptive behaviors closely related to personality traits and may represent an effort to avoid negative emotions. Evaluation of negative emotions may have an important place in training programs intended to change drunk driving behavior.

Drink driving and risky behavior among university students in southwestern Nigeria-Implications for policy development

BACKGROUND

Drink driving contributes significantly to road traffic injuries. Little is known about the relationship between drink driving and other high-risk behaviors in non-Western countries. The study aimed to assess the relationship between drink driving and other risky behaviors including making phone calls, sending text messages, nonuse of protective gear, and driving against traffic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of risky behavior among undergraduates was conducted. A stratified random sampling method was used to identify young undergraduates who had driven a motorized vehicle in the past year. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and other tools developed by researchers were used to identify the risky behaviors.

RESULTS

Of 431 respondents, 10.7% had engaged in drink driving in the past 12 months. The most common risky behavior was making phone calls (63.7%), followed by nonuse of helmets (54.7%), driving against traffic (49.2%), nonuse of seat belts (46.8%), and sending text messages (26.1%). Alcohol use was significantly associated with making phone calls (U = 1.148; P < .0001), sending text messages (U = 1.598; P = .021), nonuse of helmets (U = 1.147; P < .0001), driving against traffic (U = 1.234; P < .0001), and nonuse of seat belts (U = 3.233; P = .001). Drink driving was associated with all risky behaviors except nonuse of seat belts (U = 1.842; P = .065).

CONCLUSION

Alcohol use and drink driving were associated with multiple risky driving behaviors. This provides useful insight for policy development and presents additional challenges for traffic injury prevention.

Blunted cardiac stress reactors exhibit relatively high levels of behavioural impulsivity

Blunted physiological reactions to acute psychological stress are associated with a range of adverse health and behavioural outcomes. This study examined whether extreme stress reactors differ in their behavioural impulsivity. Individuals showing blunted (N=23) and exaggerated (N=23) cardiovascular reactions to stress were selected by screening a healthy student population (N=276). Behavioural impulsivity was measured via inhibitory control and motor impulsivity tasks. Blunted reactors exhibited greater impulsivity than exaggerated reactors on both stop-signal, F(1,41)=4.99, p=0.03, ηp(2)=0.108, and circle drawing, F(1,43)=4.00, p=0.05, η p(2)=0.085, tasks. Individuals showing blunted cardiovascular stress reactions are characterized by greater impulsivity which may contribute to their increased susceptibility to outcomes such as obesity and addiction.

Effects of acute alcohol tolerance on perceptions of danger and willingness to drive after drinking

RATIONALE

Drinking and driving is associated with elevated rates of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities. Previous research suggests that alcohol impairs judgments about the dangers of risky behaviors; however, how alcohol affects driving-related judgments is less clear. Impairments have also been shown to differ across limbs of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve, which is known as acute tolerance.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to examine whether perceptions about the dangerousness of driving after drinking and willingness to drive differed across the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC curve and to test whether reductions in perceived danger were associated with willingness to drive on the descending limb.

METHODS

Fifty-six participants were randomly assigned to receive either a moderate dose of alcohol (peak BAC = 0.10 g%) or placebo. We assessed perceived dangerousness and willingness to drive at matched BACs (~0.067-0.068 g%) on the ascending and descending limbs.

RESULTS

Both perceived danger and willingness to drive showed acute tolerance in the alcohol group. Participants judged driving to be significantly less dangerous and were more willing to drive on the descending limb compared to the ascending limb. The magnitude of change in perceived danger significantly predicted willingness to drive on the descending limb.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased impairment associated with acute tolerance may lead individuals to underestimate the dangerousness of driving after drinking and in turn make poor decisions regarding driving. This study further emphasizes the descending limb as a period of increased risk and offers support for enhancing prevention efforts by targeting drivers at declining BAC levels.

The role of alcohol perceptions as mediators between personality and alcohol-related outcomes among incoming college-student drinkers

After high school, college students escalate their drinking at a faster rate than their noncollege-attending peers, and alcohol use in high school is one of the strongest predictors of alcohol use in college. Therefore, an improved understanding of the role of predictors of alcohol use during the critical developmental period when individuals transition to college has direct clinical implications to reduce alcohol-related harms. We used path analysis in the present study to examine the predictive effects of personality (e.g., impulsivity, sensation seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety sensitivity) and three measures of alcohol perception: descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and perceptions regarding the perceived role of drinking in college on alcohol-related outcomes. Participants were 490 incoming freshmen college students. Results indicated that descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and the role of drinking largely mediated the effects of personality on alcohol outcomes. In contrast, both impulsivity and hopelessness exhibited direct effects on alcohol-related problems. The perceived role of drinking was a particularly robust predictor of outcomes and mediator of the effects of personality traits, including sensation seeking and impulsivity on alcohol outcomes. The intertwined relationships observed in this study between personality factors, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and the role of drinking highlight the importance of investigating these predictors simultaneously. Findings support the implementation of interventions that target these specific perceptions about the role of drinking in college.