Réponse au stress et comportements routiers à risque sous l’effet de l’alcool chez de jeunes conducteurs

Abstract : Introduction. Motor vehicle crashes are a serious problem worldwide. They cause tens of millions of injuries each year and represent one of the leading causes of death in young adults. Impaired driving, speeding and other risky driving behaviours (RDBs) are often associated with these crashes. Examination of risk markers associated with involvement in RDBs by our research team has shown that a low response to a stressful task, measurable by cortisol, is linked to a higher number of past convictions for impaired driving in offenders and to future involvement in crashes and near-crashes in young drivers. No study had yet examined the direct link between stress response and the presence of RDBs following alcohol consumption. Goals and Hypotheses. The primary goal of the study is to measure the association between young drivers’ stress response and the presence of RDBs following alcohol consumption. The main hypothesis is that a low stress response is linked to RDBs following alcohol consumption. The study’s secondary objective is to explore whether other variables (i.e., sensation seeking, cigarette use, and problem drinking) may explain the variance in stress response exhibited by young drivers. Hence, the secondary hypothesis proposes that sensation seeking and the severity of alcohol and cigarette use are variables that explain the variance in stress response. Method. Forty male drivers aged 20 to 24 years old participated in the study. Driving behaviours following alcohol consumption (i.e., speeding and failure to obey traffic signs during the first trip, deciding to drive a second trip under the influence of alcohol) were observed by means of a driving simulator. Stress response was measured using a standardized stress-inducing task, and saliva cortisol samples were collected before and after the task. Questionnaires gathered data used to test the secondary hypothesis. Findings. The findings show that a low stress response is negatively and significantly associated with the RDBs when driving the simulator under the influence of alcohol (r (38) = -0.30, p = 0.032). Sensation seeking significantly explains the variance in stress response (β = -0.33; p = 0.041); the severity of alcohol consumption and cigarette use do not significantly explain the variance in stress response across individuals. Implications. The study findings clarify the link between stress response and the involvement of young drivers in RDBs following alcohol consumption. The efficacy of prevention and intervention tools adapted to the characteristics of individuals who react less to stress should be explored in future studies.

Name thesis:degree_name

M. Sc.

Level thesis:degree_level

Maîtrise

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sciences cliniques

Grantor dc:publisher

Université de Sherbrooke

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• El Amrani, Laila

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Ouimet, Marie Claude
• Roy, Élise

• Réponse au stress
• Réactivité du cortisol
• Comportements routiers à risque
• Alcool
• Conduite avec les capacités affaiblies
• Vitesse
• Stress response
• Cortisol reactivity
• Risky driving behaviours
• Alcohol
• Impaired driving
• Speeding

Language dc:language.iso

fr

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11143/5952

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:usherbrooke.scholaris.ca:11143/5952