Psychiatric Risk Factors for Motor Vehicle Fatalities in Young Men

Psychiatric disorders have been shown to be risk factors for motor vehicle accidents (MVA), but only a few studies have investigated their role in MVA fatalities. This article reports on a case–control study that compared 61 young male MVA fatalities in which the subject was the driver with an equal number of living male subjects matched for age (case by case with no more than 1 year’s difference between case subjects and control subjects) with the accident group. The results suggest that cluster B personality disorders (borderline and/or antisocial) and substance use disorders in the last 6 months increased the men's risk of dying in MVAs. The research also demonstrated an age effect, where differences in cluster B personality disorders and substance use disorders in the last 6 months were only significantly more prevalent in case subjects aged 26 years or over, compared with control subjects of the same age. Drivers under age 25 years appeared to be comparable with control subjects on all measures of psychopathology. The authors conclude that borderline and antisocial personality disorders (in which impulsive-aggressive behaviors play a central role) and substance use disorders appear to be risk factors for young male deaths in MVAs. However, in the younger drivers (aged 18 to 25 years), early experiences with driving and with alcohol or drugs may be a more significant factor in MVA deaths than psychopathology.

• Authors:
  • Dumais, Alexandre
  • Lesage, Alain D
  • Boyer, Richard
  • Lalovic, Aleksandra
  • Menard-Buteau, Carole
  • Kim, Caroline
  • Turecki, Gustavo
  • Chawky, Nadia
• Publication Date: 2005-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 838-844
• Serial:
  • Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
  • Volume: 50
  • Issue Number: 13
  • Publisher: Canadian Psychiatric Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggression; Crash injuries; Drug abuse; Fatalities; Males; Mental disorders; Mental illness; Personality; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Risk assessment; Young adults
• Uncontrolled Terms: Borderline personality disorder
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01041268
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 30 2007 1:28PM