Profiling and prevalence of substance-related and addictive disorders and behavioural addictions in incarcerated traffic offenders

Abstract

A field study was designed to determine if traffic offenders were characterised by substance-related and addictive disorders and behavioural addictions, and to examine their prevalence in this population. A total of 268 regular drivers (weekly or daily use) participated in the study; 132 incarcerated traffic offenders and 136 drivers with no criminal background. Subsamples were matched in age, sex, and time elapsed since their driving test. Participants responded to a measure of impulse control and addictions. The results revealed a more-than-problematic effect regarding drug addiction, alcohol consumption, and compulsive purchasing in the population of traffic offenders. In contrast, a trivial effect (insignificant) was observed in addiction to gambling, internet, videogames, eating, and sex. Comparatively, traffic offenders reported higher addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, compulsive purchasing, and sex, but less addiction to internet than controls. As for caseness analysis, a significant prevalence of caseness (>0.05) was observed in traffic offenders in connection to drugs, alcohol, internet, compulsive purchasing, and eating addictions. Moreover, addiction comorbidity or multi-comorbidity was found to be common (=0.50). The implications of the results for interventions with traffic offenders are discussed.