Article from today's Times:
Middle-aged, well-educated women going through marital or relationship problems are more likely to drink and drive than any other group of women, a study has found.
And it may be no use trying to shame them into changing their behaviour. Treatment programmes that induce negative emotions can make over-40s women feel even worse about themselves and lead them to drink more.
Unlike men, where convictions for drink-driving are heavily concentrated among those in their twenties, women who are convicted are more likely to be aged 40 or over. Athough drink-driving is predominantly a male offence, the number of women drivers caught over the limit has risen rapidly. In 1994, 6,500 female drivers were convicted, compared with 11,638 in 2006. Almost 80,000 men were convicted in 2006.
The study, by the University of Nottingham, said the findings suggest that this group needs a different approach to policing and treatment. Police may be less likely to test middle-aged women who are driving erratically, wrongly assuming that they are likely to be more responsible than younger women. Rehabilitation programmes often use shock tactics to induce feelings of shame in drink drivers, such as meeting families who have lost loved ones in accidents. The researchers say that this may be counterproductive with middle-aged women .
The findings are published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review. Professor Mary McMurran, from the Institute of Mental Health at Nottingham, said: ?The profile of women drink-driving offenders is of being divorced, widowed or separated and having fewer previous convictions than their male counterparts. It may be these women are distressed by their situation and are turning to drink.?
She added that treatment that induced negative emotions might, by increasing emotional distress, increase drinking and the likelihood of alcohol-related offending. The researchers studied data from 26 major studies from Britain and across the world on all aspects of drink-driving. They found that few women drink-drivers had previous convictions for drink offences.
Professor McMurran said the research suggested that programmes attempting to get drink-drivers to change their ways appeared to be largely designed for young men. A study in New Mexico suggested that putting female drink-drivers before a panel of people made up of those who have been seriously injured or whose loved ones have been killed actually increased the likelihood of reoffending.
Middle-aged, well-educated women going through marital or relationship problems are more likely to drink and drive than any other group of women, a study has found.
And it may be no use trying to shame them into changing their behaviour. Treatment programmes that induce negative emotions can make over-40s women feel even worse about themselves and lead them to drink more.
Unlike men, where convictions for drink-driving are heavily concentrated among those in their twenties, women who are convicted are more likely to be aged 40 or over. Athough drink-driving is predominantly a male offence, the number of women drivers caught over the limit has risen rapidly. In 1994, 6,500 female drivers were convicted, compared with 11,638 in 2006. Almost 80,000 men were convicted in 2006.
The study, by the University of Nottingham, said the findings suggest that this group needs a different approach to policing and treatment. Police may be less likely to test middle-aged women who are driving erratically, wrongly assuming that they are likely to be more responsible than younger women. Rehabilitation programmes often use shock tactics to induce feelings of shame in drink drivers, such as meeting families who have lost loved ones in accidents. The researchers say that this may be counterproductive with middle-aged women .
The findings are published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review. Professor Mary McMurran, from the Institute of Mental Health at Nottingham, said: ?The profile of women drink-driving offenders is of being divorced, widowed or separated and having fewer previous convictions than their male counterparts. It may be these women are distressed by their situation and are turning to drink.?
She added that treatment that induced negative emotions might, by increasing emotional distress, increase drinking and the likelihood of alcohol-related offending. The researchers studied data from 26 major studies from Britain and across the world on all aspects of drink-driving. They found that few women drink-drivers had previous convictions for drink offences.
Professor McMurran said the research suggested that programmes attempting to get drink-drivers to change their ways appeared to be largely designed for young men. A study in New Mexico suggested that putting female drink-drivers before a panel of people made up of those who have been seriously injured or whose loved ones have been killed actually increased the likelihood of reoffending.
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