Personality and Driving Behavior Among Patients with Traumatic Injury: A Comparison of Normal and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Patients

The purpose of this study was to assess the personality and driving behavior in normal and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients with traumatic injury admitted to Rajaee Hospital. This study was conducted in 2013 at Shiraz Trauma Center. All patients with physical trauma who referred to Shahid Rajaee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran were included; 60 male subjects with or without ADHD symptoms were selected. Demographic factors were assessed by a self-report questionnaire and driving behavior and personality traits were assessed by Manchester driving behavior questionnaire (MDBQ) and Neo Five Factor Inventory (NEO_FFI), respectively. Among 60 patients evaluated in this study, 29 males were diagnosed with ADHD and 31 were classified as non-ADHD group. There was a significant difference between ADHD and non-ADHD groups in the frequency of accidents (p<0.001), injury history (p<0.003), driving behavior (p<0.01), and personality (p<0.05). ADHDs had a higher mean score of neuroticism, extraversion, openness and agreeableness; in addition, ADHDs had more injuries and accidents. It can be concluded that one of the main factors that cause riskier driving behaviors is EF and in conjunction with other comorbidities such as ADHD or personality disorders, it can increase risky driving behavior which can lead to more accidents and injuries.