Psychosocial constructs and self-reported driving restriction in the Candrive II older adult baseline cohort

Abstract

Baseline data from a large cohort of 928 older drivers (aged 70 and older) in the Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive II) study permitted the examination of driving specific constructs of perceptions and attitudes based on Social Cognition Theory, the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (e.g., driving confidence/comfort, perceived driving ability, and decisional balance) in relation to each other and to various self-reported measures of driving restrictions (i.e., kilometers driven, situations frequently encountered and avoided, degree of driving restriction). Although several of the psychosocial measures were correlated, the magnitudes of the correlations were low enough to suggest that multiple factors were being assessed. In addition, perceptions and attitudes were associated with driving exposure and patterns such that the more positive/comfortable older adults felt about driving and their driving ability, the greater their self-reported driving exposure (e.g., more kilometers driven per week, increased exposure to challenging driving situations/decreased avoidance of challenging situations, fewer restrictions). Conversely, older adults who expressed more negative views about driving, including feeling less comfortable behind the wheel, self-reported driving fewer kilometers per week, avoiding challenging driving situations, and engaging more in active driving restriction compared to more comfortable/confident older drivers. These findings support previous research and extend our understanding of the specific perceptions and attitudes that can contribute to behavior change, particularly for constructs derived from Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical Model.

Attitudes: Mediators of the Relation between Health and Driving in Older Adults

“…In the current study, we used longitudinal data to examine the relations among health, attitudes, perceptions, and self-regulatory driving behaviours. The results of this study replicate the fi ndings of other studies in that strong links were observed between perceived health and driving behaviours, perceived health and driving attitudes and perceptions, and driving attitudes and perceptions and self-regulatory driving behaviours (e.g., Edwards et al, 2009 ;Jouk et al, 2014 ;O'Connor et al, 2011 ;Tuokko et al, 2013 ). We extended this existing literature by testing whether driving attitudes and perceptions play mediating roles in the observed relations between perceived health and self-regulatory driving behaviours of older adults over the fi rst data collection points of the longitudinal Candrive II study cohort.…”

“…This study contributes to the growing body of literature that examines the links between health characteristics, driving attitudes and perceptions, and/or self-regulatory driving practices (e.g., Carmel, Rechavi, & Ben-Moshe, 2014; Donorfio et al, 2008; Edwards et al, 2009; Jouk et al, 2014; O’Connor et al, 2011; O’Connor, Edwards, Waters, Hudak, & Valdés, 2013; Tuokko et al, 2013) by demonstrating that attitudes towards driving mediate the relations between perceived health status and self-regulatory driving behaviours at baseline and over time. The strength of these associations is dependent on the measures used to quantify each construct and the amount of time over which the observations are made.…”

Psychosocial Constructs as Possible Moderators of Self-Reported Driving Restrictions

“…Recently, we examined the psychosocial constructs of comfort, perceived driving abilities, and decisional balance in relation to self-reported driving restrictions in terms of kilometers driven and frequency and avoidance of challenging driving situations in a cross-sectional examination of baseline data from 928 drivers, age 70 and older, participating in the Candrive II cohort study (Jouk et al, 2014). Consistent with prior research (e.g., Tuokko et al, 2006), we found perceptions and attitudes to be associated with driving exposure and patterns such that the more positive and comfortable older adults felt about driving and their driving abilities, the greater their self-reported driving exposure.…”

“…Consistent with prior research (e.g., Tuokko et al, 2006), we found perceptions and attitudes to be associated with driving exposure and patterns such that the more positive and comfortable older adults felt about driving and their driving abilities, the greater their self-reported driving exposure. Conversely, older adults who expressed more-negative views about driving, including feeling less comfortable behind the wheel, reported driving fewer kilometers per week, as well as lower frequency and greater avoidance of driving in challenging situations (Jouk et al, 2014).…”

“…To understand what motivates changes in driving practices, more research is needed to better understand the psychological process underlying driving self-regulatory practices in older adulthood (Dickerson et al, 2007). Specifically, attitudes and perceptions about driving have been shown to be related to older driver self-regulation (Jouk et al, 2014; Lindstrom-Forneri, Tuokko, Garrett, & Molnar, 2010; Lindstrom-Forneri, Tuokko, & Rhodes, 2007; Myers et al, 2008; Rudman et al, 2006; Tuokko et al, 2006) and, in fact, may influence driving practices more so than objective driving abilities (Baldock et al, 2006; Blanchard & Myers, 2010; MacDonald, Myers, & Blanchard, 2008). Baldock et al (2006) found that self-regulatory practices (reported avoidance) were not associated with scores of on-road driving performance.…”