Socio-Psychological Profile of Drivers Deprived of Their Driving Licenses for Driving Under the Influence of Substances

Introduction. Road traffic accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicating substances lead to serious demographic and socio-economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to improve measures aimed at preventing such cases of traffic offense.

The aim of the study was to identify the characteristics of the socio-psychological profile of drivers deprived of their driving licenses as a result of driving while intoxicated.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on a sample of 427 people aged 20 to 72. The data were recorded using the digital system for psychophysiological testing, “NS-Psychotest,” developed by Neurosoft LLC. Statistical data were calculated using IBM SPSS 23 software. Descriptive statistics, T-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s Chi-square test, and K-means cluster analysis were used.

Results. Statistically significant differences were found in memory capacity and character accentuations between men and women (p £ 0.01), as well as in the severity of neurotic symptoms, stress and distress levels, cognitive functions and character accentuations between different age groups (p £ 0.05). Cluster sampling identified three profiles: a) respondents with neurotic symptoms and high stress levels; b) respondents with slowed reaction time and cognitive impairment; c) respondents with a relatively high level of psychotic and paranoid symptoms.

Conclusion. Socio-psychological profiles of drivers deprived of their driving licenses for driving under the influence of substances were described. The obtained results will be useful in the elaboration of a differentiated approach to secondary prevention of impaired driving.

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