This study examined differences between college students with high and low symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Fifty-nine introductory psychology students completed ADHD diagnostic measures and were compared on measures of driving anger and driving anger expression; accident-rotated, aggressive, and risky driving behaviors; general anger; and general anger expression.
Results indicated high ADHD symptom college students experience more driving anger, display such anger in more hostile/ aggressive ways, are more aggressive and risky on the road, experience more crash-related outcomes, are more generally angry, and tend to display anger in socially unacceptable ways. Results are discussed In regard to the understanding and treatment of ADHD.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author .
2.
Anderson, R.N., Kochanek, K.D., & Murphy, S.L. (1997). Report of final mortality statistics. Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 45 (11). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
3.
Barkley, R.A. (1995). ADHD behavior checklist for adults. The ADHD Report, 3, 3.
4.
Barkley, R.A. (1997a). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 121, 65-94.
5.
Barkley, R.A. (1997b). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, self-regulation, and time: Toward a more comprehensive theory. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 18, 271-279.
6.
Barkley, R.A. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.)New York: Guilford.
7.
Barkley, R.A., Fischer, M., Edelbrock, C.S., & Smallish, L. (1990). The adolescent outcome of hyperactive children diagnosed by research criteria: I. An 8-year prospective follow-up study. TheJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 546-557.
8.
Barkley, R.A., Guevremont, D.C., Anastopoulos, A.D., DuPaul, & Shelton, T.L. (1993). Driving-related risks and outcomes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents and young adults: A 3- to 5-year follow-up survey. Pediatrics , 92, 212-218.
Barkley, R.A., Murphy, K.R., & Kwasnik, D. (1996a). Motor vehicle driving competencies and risks in teens and young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics, 98, 1089-1095.
11.
Barkley, R.A., Murphy, K.R., & Kwasnik, D. (1996b). Psychological adjustment and adaptive impairments in young adults with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders , 1, 41-54.
12.
Biedennan, J., Faraone, S., Milberger, S., Curtis, S., Chen, L., Marrs, A., et al. (1996). Predictors of persistence and remission of ADHD into adolescence: Results from a four-year prospective follow-up study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and A dolescentPsychiatry, 35, 343-351.
13.
Biederman, J., Faraone, S.V., Spencer, T., Wilens, T., Mick, E., & Lapey, K.A. (1994). Gender differences in a sample of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry Research , 53, 13-29.
14.
Biederman, J., Faraone, S.V., Spencer, T., Wilens, T., Norman, D., Lapey, K.E., et al. (1993). Patterns of psychiatric comorbidity, cognition, and psychosocial functioning in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. AmericanJournal Psychiatry, 150, 1792-1798.
15.
Biederman, J., Wilens, T., Mick, E., Milberger, S., Spencer, T.J., & Faraone, S.V. (1995). Psychoactive substance use disorders in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Effects of ADHD and psychiatric comorbidity. American Journal of Psychiatry,152, 1652-1658.
16.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.)Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
17.
Corum, L.M., Wentz-Kinnison, L.A., Petrilli, R.T., Lynch, R.S., & Deffenbacher, J.L. (1999, April). Development of a Driving Anger Expression InventoryPaper presented at the 69th Annual Convention of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association , Fort Collins, Colorado.
18.
Deffenbacher, J.L. (1992). Trait anger: Theory, findings, and implications . In C. D. Spielberger, & J. N. Butcher (Eds.), Advances in personality assessment. Vol. 9. (pp. 177-201). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Filetti, L.B., Lynch, R.S., Dahlen, E.R., & Oetting, E.R. (in press). Cognitive-behavioural treatment of high anger drivers. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
21.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Huff, M.E., Lynch, R.S., Oetting, E.R., & Salvatore, N.F. (2000). Characteristics and treatment of high anger drivers. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 5-17.
22.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Lynch, R.S., Deffenbacher, D.M., & Oetting, E.R. (2001). Further evidence of reliability and validity for the Driving Anger Expression Inventory. Manuscript submitted for publication.
23.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Lynch, R.S., Oetting, E.R., & Swaim, R.C. (in press). The Driving Anger Expression Inventory: A measure of how people express their anger on the road. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
24.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Lynch, R.S., Oetting, E.R., & Yingling, D.A. (in press). Driving anger: Correlates and a test of state-trait theory. Personality and Individual Differences.
25.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Oetting, E.R., & Lynch, R.S. (1994). Development of a driving anger scale. Psychological Reports, 74, 83-91. /
26.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Oetting, E.R., Lynch, R.S., & Morris, C.D. (1996). The expression of anger and its consequences. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 575-590.
27.
Deffenbacher, J.L., Oetting, E.R., Thwaites, G.A., Lynch, R.S., Baker, D.A., Stark, R.S., et al. (1996). State-trait anger theory and the utility of the Trait Anger Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 43, 131-148.
28.
Derogatis, L.R. (1994). The SCL-90-R: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual (3rd ed.). Minneapolis : National Computer Systems.
29.
Dooling-Liftin, J., & Rosén, L.A. (1997). Predicting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in college students. Unpublished Manuscript.
30.
Downey, K.K., Stelson, F.W., Pomerleau, O.F., & Giordani, B. (1997). Adult Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity disorder: Psychological test profiles in a clinical population. Journal of Nervous Mental Disorders, 185 (1),32-38.
31.
Hirshfeld, H.A., Richards, T., Lynch, R.S., & Deffenbacher, J.L. (1999, April). Correlates of driving anger expression. Paper presented at the 69th Annual Convention of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Fort Collins, CO.
32.
Lewandowski, L., Codding, R., Gordon, M., Marcoe, M., Needham, L., & Rentas, J. (2000). Self-reported LD and ADHD symptoms in college students. ADHD Report, 8, 1-4.
33.
Mannuzza, S., Klein, R.G., Bessler, A., Malloy, P., & Hynes, M.E. (1997). Educational and occupational outcome of hyperactive boys grown up. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1222-1227.
34.
Mannuzza, S., Klein, R.G., Bessler, A., Malloy, P., LaPadula, M. (1993). Adult outcome of hyperactive boys: Educational achievement, occupational rank, and psychiatric status. Archives of General Psychiatry,50, 565-576.
35.
Mannuzza, S., Klein, R.G., Bessler, A., Malloy, P., & LaPadula, M. (1998). Adult psychiatric status of hyperactive boys grown up. American Journal of Psychiatry,155, 493-498.
36.
Millstein, R.B., Wilens, T.E., Biederman, J., Spencer, T.J. (1997). Presenting ADHD symptoms and subtypes in clinically referred adults with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders , 2, 159-166.
37.
Murphy, K., & Barkley, R.A. (1996). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adults: Comorbidities and adaptive impairments. Comprehensive Psychiatry , 37, 393-401.
38.
Murphy, K., Gordon, M., & Barkley, R. (2000). To what extent are ADHD symptoms common? A reanalysis of standardization data from a DSM-IV checklist. ADHD Report, 8, 1-5.
39.
Nada Raja, S., Langley, J.D., McGee, R., Williams, S.M., Begg, D.J., & Reeder, A.I. (1997). Inattentive and hyperactive behaviors and driving offenses in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 515-522.
40.
National Center for Statistics and Analysis ( 1997). 1997Traffic Fatality Facts. (DOT Publication No. HS 808-776). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
41.
Ramirez, C.A., Rosén, L.A., Deffenbacher, J.L., Hurst, H., Nicoletta, C., Rosencranz, T., et al. (1997). Anger and anger expression in adults with high ADHD symptoms. Journal of Attention Disorders, 2, 115-128.
Weiss, G., & Hechtman, L.T. (1993). Hyperactive children grown up: ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
44.
Wender, P. (1997). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: A wide view of a widespread condition. Psychiatric Annals , 27, 556-562.
45.
Wilens, T.E., Biederman, J., & Mick, E. (1998). Does ADHD affect the course ofsubstance abuse? Findings from a sample of adults with and without ADHD. American Journal ofAddiction, 7, 156-163.
46.
Tracy Richards, Jerry Deffenbacher, and Lee Rosén are with the Department of Psychology, Colorado State University.
