Investigating sex, masculinity and femininity in relation to impulsive driving and driving anger expression

• Published in: Transportation research. Part F, Traffic psychology and behaviour Traffic psychology and behaviour, 2021-08, Vol.81, p.14-26
• Main Authors: Öztürk, İbrahim, Özkan, Özgün, Öz, Bahar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Automobile drivers; Automobile driving; Driver behavior; Driving anger expression; Femininity; Gender aspects; Gender roles; Human factors; Impulsive driver behaviours; Impulsivity; Masculinity; Sex roles; Traffic accidents & safety; Traffic safety
• ISSN: 1369-8478; 1873-5517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2021.05.009

•Sex and gender roles in relation to impulsivity and anger expression were studied.•Gender roles were strongly related to impulsive behaviours and anger expression.•Femininity was negatively related to aggressive and dysfunctional behaviours.•Higher femininity was linked to more functional impulsivity and adaptive expression.•Masculinity was positively related to aggressive anger expression. Human factors constitute a class of prominent road safety related factors. In the present study, human factors of driving were studied by investigating sex differences and gender roles in relation to impulsive driving and driving anger expression. A total of 425 drivers between the ages of 18 and 56 (M = 25.46, SD = 7.58) participated to the study and completed a series of questionnaires including a demographic information form, the Bem Sex Roles Inventory, the Impulsive Driver Behaviour Scale and the Driving Anger Expression Inventory. According to the ANCOVA results, male drivers showed higher functional impulsivity, lack of premeditation and use of the vehicle to express anger than female drivers. Additionally, hierarchical regression analyses showed that masculinity was positively associated with functional impulsivity, urgency and the dimensions of aggressive anger expression. However, femininity was positively associated with functional impulsivity and adaptive/constructive anger expression, but negatively associated with the dimensions of dysfunctional impulsivity and aggressive anger expression. Overall, the results showed the significant solo effects of masculinity and femininity on impulsive driver behaviours and driving anger expression, over and above the effects of sex, and the interaction between sex and gender roles. In the present study, previously reported findings indicating the relationships between sex and gender roles and driving anger expression were supported and extended by providing the literature with the contribution of answering the question how sex and gender roles are related to impulsive driver behaviours. The findings of the two related concepts of impulsive driving and driving anger expression were discussed in light of the current literature. Contributions, implications and future research directions concerning road safety practices were presented.