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The Driving Cognitions Questionnaire: development and preliminary psychometric properties
Anke Ehlers1, Joanne E Taylor, Thomas Ehring
1Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK. a.ehlers@iop.kcl.ac.uk <a.ehlers@iop.kcl.ac.uk>
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
|September 20, 2006
Summary
Fear of driving is a common concern. The new Driving Cognitions Questionnaire (DCQ) effectively assesses panic, accident, and social worries related to driving, aiding research and clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Fear of driving is prevalent in the general population.
- Existing assessment tools for driving-related concerns are limited.
- Understanding specific driving fears is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate the Driving Cognitions Questionnaire (DCQ).
- To create a reliable and valid measure for driving-related concerns.
- To assess panic-related, accident-related, and social concerns in drivers.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 20-item scale (DCQ).
- Preliminary evaluation across three international samples (N=247).
- Assessed internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant ability.
Main Results:
- The DCQ demonstrated good internal consistency across samples.
- The scale showed substantial correlations with driving fear severity measures.
- The DCQ effectively discriminated between individuals with and without driving phobia.
Conclusions:
- The Driving Cognitions Questionnaire (DCQ) is a promising tool for assessing driving fears.
- The DCQ can be utilized in both research and clinical settings.
- The scale provides valuable insights into panic, accident, and social concerns associated with driving.
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