Reassessing Fitness-to-Drive in Drinker Drivers: The Role of Cognition and Personality

Luigi Tinella, Alessandro Oronzo Caffò, Antonella Lopez, Francesco Nardulli, Ignazio Grattagliano and Andrea Bosco
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Luigi Tinella: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Alessandro Oronzo Caffò: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Antonella Lopez: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Francesco Nardulli: Commissione Medica Locale Patenti Speciali, Azienda Sanitaria Locale-Bari, 70123 Bari, Italy
Ignazio Grattagliano: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Andrea Bosco: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: Drunken driving is among the main challenges for road safety by causing worldwide motor-vehicle crashes with severe injuries and deaths. The reassessment of fitness-to-drive in drivers stopped for drunken driving includes mainly psychological examinations. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and the consistency of selected variables of different psychological driving-related dimensions (i.e., cognitive skills and personality) in discriminating 90 male drinker drivers (DD) from matched non-drinkers controls. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), and the Perspective-Taking Test (PT) were administered to assess overall cognitive functioning, and object- and self-based spatial transformation abilities, respectively. Participants completed a computerized test measuring resilience of attention (DT), reaction times (RT), and perceptual speed (ATAVT). The Personality Psychopathology Five scales (i.e., PSY-5: Aggressiveness-AGGR, Psychoticism-PSYC, Disconstraint-DISC, Negative-Emotionality-NEGE, and Introversion-INTR) the validity scale (L) and the dissimulation index (F-K) were scored from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). A logistic binomial regression analysis (backward subtraction method) was used to identify discriminant predictors. A prediction analysis (ROC curve method) was performed on the final model. Results showed that the scores obtained in MRT, DT, and the personality measures of PSYC, DISC, NEGE, and INTR significantly discriminated DD from their matched controls with moderate-to-good values of accuracy (0.79), sensitivity (0.80), and specificity (0.79), as well as a good AUC value (0.89). In some cases, the personality dimensions provided—reliable—unexpected results. Low scores of PSYC, NEGE, and INTR were found to predict the membership to the DD group; results are discussed with reference to response management. Personality measures should be assessed with particular attention in a forensic context because they are more prone to be feigned than cognitive ones. Overall, the present study confirmed the relevance of integrating different driving-related psychological dimensions in the evaluation of fitness-to-drive showing the usefulness of standardized tools for the reassessment of drinker drivers.

Keywords: drunk driving; fitness-to-drive; cognition; spatial transformation skills; personality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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