Common mental disorders and risk behaviours in motorcyclists victims of traffic-accidents

BACKGROUND: Motorcycles accidents are a public health problem. Drivers ́ behaviours are pointed out as one of the main causes of their occurrence and may be associated with psychiatric comorbidities as Common Mental Disorders (CMD). AIM: To analyse the association between CMD and risk behaviours adopted by motorcyclists victims of traffic accidents. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with injured motorcyclists who were hospitalised in a Hospital located in Northeast of Brazil. A questionnaire was used containing items related to sociodemographic, occupational and behavioural factors, mental health (Self Reporting Questionnaire-20) and aspects of the accident and road conditions. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed, calculating the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) and the level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: A total of 170 motorcycle drivers were surveyed. There was a predominance of males (95.9%), with a mean age of 31 years. The prevalence of CMD was 14.7%. The bivariate analysis indicated that the disorders were associated with driving with sleep/fatigue (OR=4.7) and driving a motorcycle without wearing a helmet (OR=2,7). CONCLUSION: This study result indicated a link between being the driver’s diagnosed with a common mental disorder and risky behaviour in traffic. The research denoted the dimension of accidents involving a motorcycle and, also, highlights how drivers’ mental health is a factor impacting the behaviours adopted by them. Thus, poor mental health may influence their road accidents.