Using an extended theory of planned behaviour to investigate sleep impaired driving
type: CreativeWork
description: Background: A significant proportion of vehicle accidents in the UK are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel and these accidents often occur at high speeds and result in fatalities (Home & Reyner, 1995b). Research has shown that driving after 15 or more hours of wakefulness increases the risk of being involved in a sleep-related vehicle accident (Stutts et al., 2003). Further, young and elderly adults have been found to have more sleep-related accidents between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm, respectively (Summala & Mikkola, 1994). An extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1988,1991) was used to understand the reasons why young, middle-aged and elderly adults drive while sleep impaired with a view to reducing the incidence of this behaviour. Specifically, the determinants of driving after 15 or more hours of wakefulness, between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm were explored. Methods: A preliminary study in which sleep duration and quality were measured in young, middle-aged and elderly adults established the validity of actigraphy to reliably differentiate periods of sleep and wake. After identifying the accessible beliefs underlying each specific behaviour and constructing questionnaires tailored to each age group and behaviour, the main study was conducted. Two hundred and ten young, middle-aged and elderly adults completed TPB questionnaires in relation to driving after being awake for 15 or more hours in the following week. Measures of behaviour (using both subjective and objective methods, i.. e., actigraphy) were obtained eight days later from the young adults. Additionally, the young and elderly adults completed TPB measures regarding driving between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm, respectively. The young adults provided behavioural data prospectively. The ability of anticipated regret, impulsive sensation seeking, past behaviour and gender to account for additional proportions of variance over and above the TP…
abstract: Background: A significant proportion of vehicle accidents in the UK are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel and these accidents often occur at high speeds and result in fatalities (Home & Reyner, 1995b). Research has shown that driving after 15 or more hours of wakefulness increases the risk of being involved in a sleep-related vehicle accident (Stutts et al., 2003). Further, young and elderly adults have been found to have more sleep-related accidents between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm, respectively (Summala & Mikkola, 1994). An extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1988,1991) was used to understand the reasons why young, middle-aged and elderly adults drive while sleep impaired with a view to reducing the incidence of this behaviour. Specifically, the determinants of driving after 15 or more hours of wakefulness, between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm were explored. Methods: A preliminary study in which sleep duration and quality were measured in young, middle-aged and elderly adults established the validity of actigraphy to reliably differentiate periods of sleep and wake. After identifying the accessible beliefs underlying each specific behaviour and constructing questionnaires tailored to each age group and behaviour, the main study was conducted. Two hundred and ten young, middle-aged and elderly adults completed TPB questionnaires in relation to driving after being awake for 15 or more hours in the following week. Measures of behaviour (using both subjective and objective methods, i.. e., actigraphy) were obtained eight days later from the young adults. Additionally, the young and elderly adults completed TPB measures regarding driving between midnight and 6am and between 3pm and 6pm, respectively. The young adults provided behavioural data prospectively. The ability of anticipated regret, impulsive sensation seeking, past behaviour and gender to account for additional proportions of variance over and above the TP…
author: Nicholson, L J
keywords: BF Psychology
date published: 2010-01
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:30:16Z
provider: Liverpool Jon Moores University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Liverpool John Moores University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.24377/LJMU.t.00005969