Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
Traffic Inj Prev. 2020;21(8):513-520. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2020.1810244. Epub 2020 Sep 17.
Very little is known about rural female impaired drivers despite disproportionate rates of impaired driving arrests and associated traffic fatalities in rural areas. The present study examined past-year impaired driving histories and impaired driving correlates in a sample of rural female drug-involved offenders.
Female drug-involved offenders ( = 400) from 3 rural jails completed a confidential interview focused on substance use and related risk behaviors. After removing cases with missing data ( = 23), participants self-reporting past-year impaired driving ( = 254) were compared to those who did not ( = 123) on demographic characteristics, substance use, mental health, and criminal histories. Impaired drivers also reported the substances involved in their past-year impaired driving episodes.
A significantly higher percentage of impaired drivers reported past-year use of 8 of the 11 substances (including alcohol) examined when compared to other drug-involved offenders. Though symptoms of major depressive and posttraumatic stress disorders were similar, significantly more impaired drivers (49.6%) reported symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than did other drug-involved offenders (35.0%). No differences in criminal histories were found. Nearly all (94.9%) impaired drivers reported driving under the influence of drugs in the past year; less than one-fourth reported driving under the influence of alcohol. Prescription opioids were the most prevalent substance type involved in impaired driving episodes (84.6%), followed by anti-anxiety medications (40.9%). Approximately one-third of impaired drivers reported driving under the influence of methamphetamine (33.9%), marijuana (31.5%), and alcohol (30.7%) in the past year.
Findings indicate that rural female impaired drivers may have more extensive substance use and mental health problems than other rural female drug-involved offenders. In addition, study results suggest that a recent history of impaired driving may serve as a marker for a more extensive substance use history. Other implications include that early identification of impaired drivers in at-risk groups may be an important opportunity to prevent future traffic injuries and fatalities.
尽管农村地区的酒后驾车逮捕率和相关交通死亡人数不成比例，但对于农村地区的女性酒后驾车者，我们知之甚少。本研究调查了农村女性吸毒罪犯样本中过去一年的酒后驾车史和相关酒后驾车因素。
来自 3 个农村监狱的女性吸毒罪犯（ = 400）完成了一项专注于药物使用和相关风险行为的机密访谈。在去除了有缺失数据的案例（ = 23）后，报告过去一年酒后驾车的参与者（ = 254）与未报告的参与者（ = 123）在人口统计学特征、药物使用、心理健康和犯罪历史方面进行了比较。酒后驾车者还报告了过去一年酒后驾车事件中涉及的物质。
与其他吸毒罪犯相比，酒后驾车者报告过去一年使用了 11 种物质中的 8 种（包括酒精）的比例明显更高。尽管重度抑郁和创伤后应激障碍的症状相似，但与其他吸毒罪犯（35.0%）相比，更多的酒后驾车者（49.6%）报告了广泛性焦虑障碍的症状。犯罪历史无差异。几乎所有（94.9%）的酒后驾车者都报告在过去一年中因药物而影响驾驶；不到四分之一的人报告因酒精而影响驾驶。在过去一年中，处方类阿片类药物是涉及酒后驾车事件最常见的物质类型（84.6%），其次是抗焦虑药物（40.9%）。大约三分之一的酒后驾车者报告在过去一年中因甲基苯丙胺（33.9%）、大麻（31.5%）和酒精（30.7%）而影响驾驶。
研究结果表明，农村地区的女性酒后驾车者可能比其他农村女性吸毒罪犯有更广泛的药物使用和心理健康问题。此外，研究结果表明，近期的酒后驾车史可能是更广泛的药物使用史的一个标志。其他影响包括，在高危人群中及早识别酒后驾车者可能是预防未来交通伤害和死亡的重要机会。
