Harmful Drinking, Depression, and Conduct Disorder Among Females Involved in Alcohol-Related Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Secondary Analysis

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Addictions Nursing

Volume

19

Issue

1

Publisher

Informa Healthcare

Publication Date

2008

First Page

9

Last Page

15

Abstract

Alcohol is involved in 40% of the deaths that occur from traffic injury in the US. Little is known, however, about factors that are associated with alcohol-related traffic injury in women. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among alcohol consumption and two psychological variables (depression and conduct disorder) in a sample of women with harmful drinking patterns and who were involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash (ARMVC). Wilsnack's theoretical model of causes and consequences of problem drinking among women was used to guide the study. The sample included 43 participants, 18 to 45 years old, with a mean age of 28.84 years (SD = 7.10). Regression analyses were performed to find the best fit regression model. Results indicated that the best-fit regression model that significantly explained approximately 25% of the variance in the average number of drinks per drinking day included depression over a life time, conduct disorder after age 15, and age. Although more work is needed to understand the relationships among the variables, when young women are injured in alcohol-related vehicular crashes, they should also be screened for depression and may have conduct disorder in their past history.

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