Developing a structural model for the role of mental health in high-risk driving behaviors of young people: the mediating role of resilience

Driving and mental health do not make sense without each other; The presence of these two elements together reduces the costs and related harms in its various dimensions for society and families. Therefore, the present study was conducted to develop a structural model of the role of mental health on high-risk driving behaviors of young people with mediating of resilience.

In this descriptive-correlational study, 383 undergraduate students of Tabriz Azad University by online sampling method and by participating in virtual classes, were participated in the present study online and to answerd the Kezes mental-social health questionnaire (2002), Wangild Dimensions of Resilience (2002) and Risk-taking Questionnaire (2008). This method was chosen due to traffic restrictions when the corona risk became serious. Structural equations modeling method was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that the proposed model has an acceptable fit; Because it was stated that mental health has a significant effect on the dimensions of resilience and this effect is direct and positive. Mental health components also directly and negatively affect the components of high-risk driving behavior. It was further found that mental health has the power to explain high-risk driving behaviors indirectly and generally through resilience.

According to the findings, mental health increases the rate of resilience and consequently reduces the tendency to high-risk driving behavior among young people; Because in the absence of mental health and the level of resilience among individuals, will increase traffic disorder and consequently the amount of various socio-economic costs for society and families.