NCJ Number
140851
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between multi- location drinking and the following personality characteristics of drunk-driving offenders: sensation seeking, hostility, and childhood hyperactivity.
Abstract
The sample of 190 subjects consisted of first-time and repeat drunk-driving offenders. The subjects were administered Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDI), and three scales (hyperactivity, attention/socialization, antisocial) based on Tarter's childhood hyperactivity checklist. DSM-III-R alcohol dependence criteria were assessed by a self- administered questionnaire. No significant differences for demographic variables were found between the two groups. Univariate analysis of variance showed that multilocation drinkers significantly differed from single-location drinkers on four of five sensation-seeking subscales, on four of eight hostility subscales, and on two of the three hyperactivity scales. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was used to examine simultaneously the ability of the personality measures to distinguish between the two groups. When the level of alcohol dependence was controlled for, only the boredom susceptibility scale made a significant contribution to the function. These findings indicate that multiple-location drinkers tend to be sensation seekers, which helps to explain their risky behavior. 20 references and 5 tables