Association of Depression and Antidepressant Use With Driving Behaviors in Older Adults: A LongROAD Study

• Published in: Journal of applied gerontology Vol. 43; no. 10; pp. 1485 - 1492
• Main Authors: Isom, Chelsea A., Baird, Sara, Betz, Marian E., DiGuiseppi, Carolyn G., Eby, David W., Li, Guohua, Lee, Kelly C, Molnar, Lisa J., Moran, Ryan, Strogatz, David, Hill, Linda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-10-2024; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - statistics & numerical data; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antidepressants; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Automobile Driving - psychology; Automobiles; Behavior modification; Depression - drug therapy; Depression - epidemiology; Drugs; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality rates; Older people; Prospective Studies; Self Report; Transportation and Driving Research; United States - epidemiology; United States; driving; medication; depression
• ISSN: 0733-4648; 1552-4523; 1552-4523
• DOI: 10.1177/07334648241238313

Older adults aged 70 and older who drive have higher crash death rates per mile driven compared to middle aged (35–54 years) adults who drive in the US. Prior studies have found that depression and or antidepressant medication use in older adults are associated with an increase in the vehicular crash rate. Using data from the prospective multi-site AAA Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers Study, this analysis examined the independent and interdependent associations of self-reported depression and antidepressant use with driving behaviors that can increase motor vehicle crash risk such as hard braking, speeding, and night-time driving in adults over age 65. Of the 2951 participants, 6.4% reported having depression and 21.9% were on an antidepressant medication. Correcting for age, race, gender, and education level, participants on an antidepressant had increased hard braking events (1.22 [1.10–1.34]) but self-reported depression alone was not associated with changes in driving behaviors.