Women Who Drink and Drive May Have Unique Emotional, Mental Health Characteristics

When women drink and drive, what characteristics do they have? Researchers at the University of Nottingham said that female drunk drivers may have similar, and surprising, traits - including well-educated, in older age groups, and typically divorced or widowed.

Women in these categories may have higher levels of emotional causes and problems related to mental health, which can set the stage for making decisions to drink and then drive. Additionally, researchers found that when treatment programs for alcohol offenses ask women to clearly address the ramifications of their actions, they may be deepening emotions like shame or guilt - and heightening the chances that the woman will drink and drive again.

Professor Mary McMurran, Institute of Mental Health, said in an article on Medical News Today that more treatment and recovery initiatives aimed specifically at female offenders are needed. McMurran adds that many women with alcohol offenses may use alcohol for comfort or escape, especially in areas of emotional or relationship-related problems, than do men. They also tend to have lesser numbers of prior convictions than men.

Researchers reviewed 26 case studies from multiple countries as they considered ways to develop more effective treatment programs for women with alcohol offenses such as drunk driving. In general, females have a lower chance than males of repeating their crimes. Relationship and family connections also emerged during the study, with researchers concluding that if women drove a vehicle while intoxicated, they had higher rates of parents who had alcohol problems or were involved with a partner with alcohol problems. The women also showed a higher likelihood of having disorders or problems related to their mental health.

Future treatment strategies, said McMurran, can consider the unique characteristics of females with alcohol-related offenses in order to improve their success rates.