Simulated Driving Performance, Self-Reported Driving Behaviors, and Mental Health Symptoms in Adolescent Novice Drivers.
Catherine C McDonald, Marilyn S Sommers, Jamison D Fargo and 2 others
PMID 29701615WHAT IT FOUND
Newly licensed adolescents who reported more inattention made more simulator driving errors.
Self-reported hyperactivity-impulsivity and conduct disorder symptoms were associated with self-reported risky driving. Parent reports were not associated with either.
Key findings
01Adolescent self-reported inattention was associated with more simulator driving errors (r = .28, p = .04).
02Adolescent self-reported hyperactivity-impulsivity and conduct disorder symptoms were associated with more self-reported risky driving (p = .02 and p < .01).
03Parent-reported symptoms were not associated with either self-reported risky driving or simulator errors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The analysis was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether mental health symptoms led to risky driving or driving errors. Participants were a convenience sample from the community, not a representative sample of all newly licensed adolescents. Most adolescents had low symptom levels, and few met clinical criteria. No participant reported being Hispanic/Latino, and the sample was predominately White. Two participants did not complete the simulated driving assessment, and one did not complete the depression questionnaire. Parent-report data were available for 54 adolescents, and parent reports were not associated with the driving outcomes. The study measured simulator errors and self-reported driving, not real-world crashes.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations as proof that mental health symptoms cause driving errors or that treating them will reduce crashes. The study was cross-sectional and did not test an intervention.