Self-reported anger: Vulnerability for risky behaviors in two-wheeler riding young men

Abstract

Objectives: Aggressive driving and road accidents are major concerns in the public health sector. This study aimed to explore risk to aggressive and risky behaviors on the road in two-wheeler riding young men. Methods: The study comprised 433 young male two-wheeler riders from an urban city of India. A two-wheeler riding survey that captured subjective perception of difficulty in managing anger in general, easy provocability to anger, and aggressive and risky behaviors on the road, and Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale were administered. Results: Of the 433 participants, 83 (19%) reported experiencing problematic anger in general, whereas 175 (40.42%) did not endorse experiencing problematic anger. Based on this, two groups were formed, namely, problematic anger-present group and problematic anger-absent group. The problematic anger-present group reported high score on easy provocability to anger, difficulty in controlling anger, specific motives related to riding fast than usual, and severity of aggressive responses to frustrating situations while riding, and low score on NMR scale. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: This study highlights the relevance of assessing subjective perception of problematic anger in two-wheeler riding young men. This has implications for designing interventions for enhancing road safety.

Keywords

• Aggressive driving
• anger
• negative mood regulation
• road rage
• two-wheeler riding Key messages: (a) Assessment of subjective perception of difficulty in managing anger in general could be very useful for understanding the aggressive and risky driving behaviours. (b) The study highlights the potential utility of identification of problematic anger and addressing the same. (c) Difficulty in managing anger in general and negative mood regulation. (d) Findings have implications for designing interventions aimed at minimizing risky driving behaviours and enhancing road safety.