Death anxiety in driving-under-the-influence offenders.

Abstract

Research into the personality characteristics of persons who have alcohol use-related problems suggests those individuals experience higher anxiety and depression levels than most individuals. Persons who have high death anxiety have also been shown to experience more anxiety and depression than most individuals. The present study was undertaken to explore the self-reported death anxiety of the driving under-the-influence offender. The sample population consisted of 59 DUI offenders referred to a rural midwestern mental health facility for group testing as part of that facility's evaluation procedure. Fifty males and nine females participated in the study. Scores on the Death Anxiety Scale were differentiated by the blood alcohol level of the participant at the time of arrest and gender using the factorial analysis of variance statistical technique. Using the! test statistical technique, Death Anxiety Scales scores of the subjects were differentiated by family structure to determine if that factor produced a significant difference in the reported scores. The results of the present study indicated no significant differences existed in the participants' scores on the Death Anxiety Scale, regardless of BAC level, gender, and family structure. While this study suggests those factors do not influence the self-reported death anxiety of DUI offenders, suggestions for additional studies that incorporate a larger female sample population and selection of subjects from a more diverse region are indicated.