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Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 7/2010

01-07-2010 | Original Paper

Personality traits and mental health of severe drunk drivers in Sweden

Authors: Beata Hubicka, Håkan Källmén, Arto Hiltunen, Hans Bergman

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 7/2010

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Abstract

The present study was intended to investigate personality characteristics and mental health of severe driving under influence (DUI) offenders in a Swedish cohort. More specifically the aim was to investigate the personality traits as assessed by The NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and aspects of mental health as assessed by the symptom checklist (SCL-90) as compared to the general population. The subjects were 162 severe DUI offenders (with the BAC >0.099%) with an age range of 18–88 years, 143 males and 19 females. It was found that the openness to experience and conscientiousness scales of NEO-PI-R differentiated Swedish DUI offenders from Swedish norm population. The differences between the DUI group and the general population on the on SCL-90 scales were all significant except on the Hostility scale. Two main subtypes of DUI offenders identified were roughly comparable to types I and II alcoholics, as in Cloninger’s typology. Among all the scales used (personality traits, psychiatric comorbidity and alcohol use), the only factor that was predictive for future relapses to drunk driving was the factor of depression.
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Metadata
Title
Personality traits and mental health of severe drunk drivers in Sweden
Authors
Beata Hubicka
Håkan Källmén
Arto Hiltunen
Hans Bergman
Publication date
01-07-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 7/2010
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0111-8

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