Social and Psychological Characteristics of Male Problem Drinkers and Social Drinkers in Rural Tennessee

The problems of drinking-driving offences and related fatal accidents have prompted an increasing desire to know more about the social and psychological factors accompanying such behaviors. In the present study we examined 1,622 white male adults living in the Upper Cumberland region of rural middle Tennessee, who were referred by the courts to an educational rehabilitation program upon conviction of a driving-whileintoxicated (DWI) offence. The data from these respondents were analyzed with regard to their demographic, social, and psychological characteristics. The principal purposes were: (a) to search for casual social and psychological correlates of drinking-driving behavior; and (b) to validate some of the psychological measures closely related to drinking-driving. The results indicated that the problem drinkers experienced more powerlessness, had lower senses of self-esteem, and attributed slightly less control to external environmental forces than did the social drinkers. Moreover, problem drinkers were more inclined than social drinkers toward sensation-seeking. These results have practical and theoretical implications of the driving-while-intoxicated offence.