The Association between Psychological Resilience and Driving Behavior among Older Drivers in Australia

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Transportation Safety
• Psychology

Background:

• Older drivers represent a growing demographic with unique driving challenges.
• Understanding factors influencing driving behavior in advanced age is crucial for safety and mobility.
• Previous research has explored various factors, but the role of psychological resilience is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare demographic, health, resilience, and self-reported driving behaviors of Australian drivers aged 77+ with a longitudinal cohort.
• To examine the relationship between resilience and self-reported driving measures in older drivers.

Main Methods:

• A survey using a subset of questions from the Older Australian Driving and Lifestyle Study (Ozcandrive) was administered to 237 older drivers across Australia.
• Demographic, health, resilience, and self-reported driving data were collected.
• Multiple regression models were used to analyze the associations between resilience and driving outcomes.

Main Results:

• The Australian sample and the Ozcandrive cohort shared similarities but differed, notably in resilience levels.
• Strong and consistent associations were found between resilience and driving comfort, abilities, and frequency in the Australian sample.
• Resilience emerged as a significant predictor in seven out of ten regression models, outperforming other independent variables.

Conclusions:

• Resilience is a significant factor associated with driving comfort, abilities, and frequency in older Australian drivers.
• Psychological resilience plays a more prominent role than other tested variables in explaining driving behaviors among older adults.
• Further research into resilience interventions could support sustained mobility and safety in the aging driver population.