The role of top-down attentional control and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in predicting future motor vehicle crash risk.

Neuropsychology
Paula A AduenDaniel Cox

Abstract

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) confers elevated risk for automobile crashes, both as a clinical syndrome and continuously when examining risk as a function of symptom severity. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms and processes underlying this risk remain poorly understood. The current longitudinal study examined whether attention network components reflect neurocognitive pathways linking ADHD symptoms with adverse driving outcomes. Method: Drivers from six U.S. sites participating in the Strategic Highway Research Program Naturalistic Driving Study (N=3,226) were prospectively monitored for objectively identified crashes, near-crashes, and crash/near-crash fault. At study entry, drivers were assessed for ADHD symptoms; completed the Conners' Continuous Performance Test, Second Edition; and were then followed continuously for 1-2 years of routine, on-road driving using technology-enhanced in-car monitoring. Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation models examined the extent to which attention network components mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and future driving risk, controlling for known risk factors. Results: As expected, self-reported ADHD symptoms predicted all markers of future dr...Continue Reading

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