A review of interventions for the reduction of driving anger

• Published in: Transportation research. Part F, Traffic psychology and behaviour Traffic psychology and behaviour, 2016-10, Vol.42, p.411-421
• Main Author: Deffenbacher, Jerry L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggressiveness; Anchoring; Anger; Automobile drivers; Automobile driving; Behavior modification; Behavioral intervention; Cognitive intervention; Driving anger reduction; Empirical analysis; Mindfulness intervention; Reduction; Relaxation intervention
• ISSN: 1369-8478; 1873-5517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2015.10.024

•Describes and reviews empirical support for interventions for driving anger reduction.•Concludes there is beginning empirical support for cognitive, relaxation, behavioral, and combined interventions.•Concludes interventions are generally equivalent in effectiveness.•Outlines directions for future research on helping angry drivers. This paper describes and reviews the efficacy of interventions to lower anger and aggression in angry drivers. The review suggests there is beginning empirical support for cognitive, relaxation, and behavioral interventions and their combinations. Thus, it suggests that therapeutic and prevention researchers and practitioners have a base of empirically supported interventions from which to develop and tailor interventions to specific populations. It also points to promising interventions (e.g., acceptance-based interventions) that may enhance intervention effectiveness. Anchoring the targeting of interventions to empirically established elements of the angry driver’s experience provides an empirical and logical basis from which to construct mediation analyses to assess if interventions effect change along theoretically specified vectors of change (e.g., does cognitive therapy lead to change in cognitive aspects of driving anger which, in turn, mediate change in other aspects of driving anger). The paper draws general conclusions regarding the status of outcome research on driving anger reduction and concludes with several recommendations for future research.