Participating in mobility: People with schizophrenia driving motorized vehicles

Participation of people with schizophrenia in individual mobility is an important aspect of inclusion according to the UN convention of human rights of persons with disabilities. However, driving motorized vehicles can be dangerous due to positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms, side effects of antipsychotic drugs and concomitant substance abuse. The objective of this study was to explore the patterns of individual mobility in a representative patient population, to determine predictors for active use of motorized vehicles, and to compare the results with data of the general population in the respective region. We interviewed N=150 participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 66 in-patients and 84 out-patients, in different types of out-patient services. A questionnaire developed for this purpose was used in interviews. 64% of the participants had a driving licence, 32% had driven a motorized vehicle in the past year, 31% owned a car, 2% a motor bike. The driving licence had been withdrawn from 24.7% of participants, 32.7% reported having been involved in a road accident. Participants drove considerably less in time and distances than the general population. Significant variables determining the chance of active use of motorized vehicles in a logistic regression model were Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) (OR 1.04 per each point), number of previous admissions (OR 0.52 per admission), and history of driving under alcohol or drugs (OR 0.18).