Difficulties in emotion regulation and success in passing the driving exam among Lithuanian pre-drivers

Abstract

Research agree that difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with poorer self-regulation leading to maladaptive behaviour while driving (e.g. text-messaging while driving). However, this relation is not well-studied in the pre-driving period. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-drivers' difficulties of emotion regulation and success in passing the driving exam. 475 driving-license candidates (187 males, 288 females) participated in the study (range of age was from 17 to 58 years). Difficulties in emotion regulation were measured during registration for driving exam process by using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS (Gratz, Roemer, 2004). Success in driving exam was measured by additional question about „passing/failing the exam" and was taken from the official data-base of ‘Regitra' as an objective measure. Results showed that pre-driver males have higher lack of emotional awareness than pre-driver females. Pre-driver females tend to have more impulse control difficulties than pre-driver males. It was found that difficulties in emotion regulation were not related to success in driving exam among males. However, pre-driver females, who possess higher non-acceptance of emotional responses tend to fail in driving exam. The results imply that emotional regulation strategies possibly are significant when assessing driver candidates, but only difficulties in emotion regulation are not informative for explaining success in passing the driving exam. This research was funded by a grant (No. GER-005/2015) from the Research Council of Lithuania.