This paper reports a long-term study to examine the results of psychological training on the use of alcohol in young (18-25 years) drivers. Subjects were given alcohol to drink and then required to complete performance tests. Following this they took part in group discussions. Both this group and a control group were evaluated by postal questionnaires over a two-year period. Both groups were found to increase their alcohol-related knowledge, but a greater increase was noted in the experimental group. This group also had a more positive attitude towards alcohol at the start of the study, which decreased during the period of the study: both groups increased in amount of negative attitudes. However, it was found that there was no difference between the number of drunken driving incidents between the two groups. The authors concluded that psychological intervention was useful in increasing alcohol-related knowledge although more work was needed to affect drivers' behaviour. For the covering abstract see ITRD E113725 (C 22328 CD-ROM).
Abstract