Driving Behaviour in Depressed Patients vs Healthy Controls

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Depression is characterized by mental, emotional and executive dysfunction, and it may have an impact on driving behaviour. The aim of the study was to evaluate driving performance in depression. Methods Participants (39 depressed patients vs 30 controls) completed questionnaires and scales on demographics, driving experience and habits, mental and physical health. They also completed two specific questionnaires on driving behaviour and attitude: the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) with three sub-scales (driving errors, traffic violations and attention lapses) and the Driver Stress Inventory (DSI) which assesses drivers' vulnerability to stress reactions while driving and consists of five sub-scales (aggression, dislike of driving, hazard monitoring, thrill seeking and proneness to fatigue). Results All driving sub-scales did not differ between cases and controls. For both the total population of participants and for depressed patients separately aggression and hazard monitoring (HM) were found to be positively correlated to fatigue severity scale total score (FSS), HM was correlated with male sex, and proneness to fatigue (PF) was negatively correlated with the total score of STOP-BANG, a questionnaire for probable sleep apnea. Only among depressed patients there was a positive correlation of PF with the total score of Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), of traffic violations with AIS and body mass index, and of both dislike of driving and HM with the anxiety sub-scale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Only when all subjects were considered together, age was negatively correlated to thrill seeking and traffic violations. Conclusions While there are no significant differences between depressed patients and controls, there are parameters which influence driving behaviour and attitude similarly for both groups (especially fatigue and sex) and specific parameters only for depressed patients (anxiety, insomnia symptoms and BMI). Key messages Driving behaviour and attitude of depressed patients and healthy controls are influenced by specific parameters. Depression per se and its consequences, such as sleep disorders and anxiety, affect driving performance and attitude.