Conceptualizing and Measuring Confidence in Older Drivers: Development of the Day and Night Driving Comfort Scales
Presented to the Gerontological Society of America, November 2006, Dallas, TX.
Abstract
Myers AM, Paradis JA, Blanchard RA. Conceptualizing and measuring confidence in older drivers: development of the Day and Night Driving Comfort Scales.
Objective
To examine and measure driving confidence from the perspective of older adults.
Design
Used focus groups for construct examination, item generation, and ratings; conducted psychometric testing using Rasch analysis for scale refinement; examined test-retest reliability and associations with driver characteristics and driving habits.
Setting
Retirement complexes and seniors’ housing and centers in Ontario, Canada.
Participants
Convenience samples of current drivers (n=143) (range, 66–92y) and 7 counselors.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure
The Day (DCS-D) and Night (DCS-N) Driving Comfort Scales developed inductively with older drivers.
Results
Older drivers believed that it was important to consider confidence in their own abilities and discomfort caused by other drivers, to separate day and night driving, and to specify the driving context (eg, traffic flow, speed). Rasch analysis showed that the final 13-item DCS-D and 16-item DCS-N were both hierarchic and unidimensional, with good person (.89, .96) and item (.98, .97) reliabilities, respectively. Test–retest reliability was adequate for the DCS-D (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=.7) and good for the DCS-N (ICC=.88). Scores were significantly associated with reported driving frequency, situational avoidance, and perceived abilities (P<.001).
Conclusions
The Driving Comfort Scales are promising new tools for research and practice.
Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Correspondence to Anita M. Myers, PhD, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Supported by the Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (CanDRIVE), Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
ABSTRACT