Increased Risk Of Motor Vehicle Crashes For Young Drivers Who Engage In Self-Harm (DRIVE Study)

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Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 17 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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A study including 18,871 Australian drivers published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) reports that drivers who engaged in self-harm were at increased risk of motor vehicle crashes, even after controlling for psychological distress and substance abuse.

The DRIVE study was conducted by The George Institute for International Health. It included newly licensed drivers aged 17 to 24 in New South Wales, Australia. They were asked to report if they had engaged in self-harm in the year before the survey. A total of 1,544 (8.2 percent) answered "yes" to the question. When asked what they did, this number fell to 871 (4.6 percent) for true self-harm. Of the 4.6 percent of drivers who engaged in true self-harm (cutting and burning, poisoning, self-battering, road-related harm, risk-taking and attempted suicide) 58.7 percent were female and 41.3 percent were male.

Among the youngest drivers, self-harm was most common. 51.9 percent of those reporting self-harm were aged 17 compared with 10.9 percent percent of 20 to 24 year olds.

Of the 871 who reported self-harm, 88 (10.1 percent) had at least one crash and 84 percent of those who had a crash were involved in multiple-vehicle incidents. The risk associated with self-harm was significant after controlling for age, sex, average driving hours per week, previous crash, psychological distress, amount of sleep and other factors.

Dr. Alexandra Martiniuk, from The George Institute, Australia, and coauthors write: "Given that self-harm was found to be an independent risk factor for motor vehicle crash among young drivers who engaged in self-harm, effective interventions to address self-harm would be beneficial in this group."

The findings of the CMAJ study have implications for the wider population as drivers who engaged in self-harm were more likely to be involved in multiple-vehicle crashes.

"Self-harm and risk of motor vehicle crashes among young drivers: findings from the DRIVE Study"
Alexandra L.C. Martiniuk MSc PhD, Rebecca Q. Ivers MPH PhD, Nick Glozier MBBS PhD,George C. Patton MBBS PhD, Lawrence T. Lam PhD, Soufiane Boufous PhD, Teresa Senserrick PhD,Ann Williamson PhD, Mark Stevenson PhD, Robyn Norton PhD
DOI:10.1503/cmaj.090459
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A.)
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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