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Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
Published on: July 19, 2017
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Determining how individuals manage their driving anxiety.
Jacob Greenfield1, Jadyn Allen1, Toni Marie Rudisill2
1Division of Occupational Therapy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America.
PLOS Mental Health
|February 9, 2026
Summary
Individuals use distraction, reliance on others, and avoidance to manage driving anxiety, enabling continued mobility but potentially impacting safety and mental health.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Transportation Safety
- Mental Health
Background:
- Driving anxiety significantly impairs mobility and can lead to driving cessation.
- Prior research has focused on the causes and severity of driving anxiety, neglecting symptom management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and identify the management strategies individuals employ to cope with driving anxiety triggers.
- To understand how these strategies facilitate continued driving despite anxiety symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 female participants (mean age 40.8) in the United States.
- Thematic analysis with inductive coding was used to analyze interview transcripts.
- Participants were recruited via email and advertisements, meeting age and driving anxiety criteria.
Main Results:
- Five key themes emerged: past trauma, uncontrollable environmental factors, coping strategies (distraction, reliance on others, avoidance), fear of losing control or causing harm, and maintaining responsibilities.
- Most participants utilized distraction, sought support from others, or avoided anxiety-provoking driving situations.
- These strategies helped maintain independence, relationships, and commitments.
Conclusions:
- Individualistic management strategies for driving anxiety, while enabling continued driving, may pose risks to driver safety and mental well-being.
- Findings can inform clinical interventions and guide future research on driving anxiety management.
- Further investigation is needed into the long-term effects and potential risks associated with common coping mechanisms.
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