Accident involvement among Iranian lorry drivers: Direct and indirect effects of background variables and aberrant driving behaviour

Road accident rates among Iranian lorry drivers are considerably high and, according to empirical evidence, aberrant driving behaviours, summed to certain demographic, psycho-social and work-related factors, may explain their accident involvement. Consequently, the main aim of the study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of background variables (i.e. annual mileage, lorry driving experience, demographic and socioeconomic factors) on accident involvement mediated through aberrant driving behaviour among Iranian lorry drivers. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012 among 914 lorry drivers in 10 selected provinces in Iran. The 27-item Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) was used to measure aberrant driving behaviour. Results from valid observations (n = 785) confirmed a four-factor solution (including ordinary violations, aggressive violations, errors, and lapses) of the DBQ. Errors, ordinary violations and aggressive violations were positively associated with accident involvement. However, lapses were not significantly associated with accident involvement. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) further showed that, in addition to direct effects of background variables on accident involvement, several variables had indirect effects mediated by three-DBQ factors; ordinary violations, aggressive violations, and errors. Higher age, having more lorry driving experience, having higher educational attainment, and married drivers were indirectly related to less accident involvement. Annual driving mileage and the resting rate of drivers was both directly and indirectly related to accident involvement. Higher income and car ownership were directly related to fewer accidents. Interventions could aim to decrease ordinary violations, aggressive violations and errors among younger, less educated and single lorry drivers. Initiatives targeted to increase the scheduled resting frequency of lorry drivers may also hold promise.     

Competitive factors of electronic dance music festivals with Social Networking Service (SNS) citizenship behaviour of international tourists

This study examined the comparative advantages of prestige service labelling (VIP), online marketing, and image differentiation when applied as marketing strategies to build tourist loyalty as a component of citizenship behaviour. The participants were 220 African tourists attending the World Club Dome Korea 2017 festival event. Following data collection, we conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to determine how VIP, online marketing, and image differentiation influenced tourist social networking service (SNS) citizenship behaviour. The results suggest that VIP and image differentiation to positively predict SNS citizenship behaviour, whereas this was not the case for online marketing. VIP had a higher influence on tourist SNS citizenship behaviour than image differentiation. In summary, strategies to attract tourists with high purchasing power should include prestige service branding with clear image differentiation. This exclusivity could be applied to online ticketing services for their added value to tourism promotion.     

Meta-analysis of the efficacy and acceptability of cognitive-behavioural therapy for Arab adult populations experiencing anxiety,depression or post-traumatic stress disorder

A meta-analysis of the literature of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) with Arab adult populations experiencing anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was conducted. Nine studies (n = 536) met the eligibility criteria. Three of the nine studies (33%) were randomised control trials using waitlist control groups. All studies (100%) reported a statistically significant reduction in psychological symptoms at post-treatment with large effect sizes for anxiety (effect size, 95% confidence interval) (1.44 [1.29, 1.59]), depression (1.26 [1.16, 1.35]) and PTSD (2.08 [1.94, 2.23]). Six out of the nine studies (67%) collated follow-up data and reported that reductions of psychological symptoms were maintained at follow-up. An average dropout rate of 26% indicated good overall acceptability. Five out of nine (55%) of the trials reported diagnostic remission rates and of those trials the mean remission rate was 31%). Five of the nine eligible studies (55%) delivered remotely via Internet or telephone were found to have similar effect sizes as face-to-face CBT. The current meta-analysis indicates the potential of CBT, delivered either face-to-face or via internet, as efficacious and acceptable interventions for the treatment of anxiety, depression and PTSD for Arab adult populations.     

Le développement d’un outil de mesure des comportements inadaptés au travail auprès de directions d’établissements scolaires du Québec

This study focuses on developing a measuring tool for unsuitable behaviour in the workplace. The tool has been developed from school principals. To do so, exploratory factor analyses have been conducted. Data have been collected from 232 senior staff members from school facilities across Quebec. Participants were invited to answer an online questionnaire. The results obtained help to classify inappropriate work behaviour into one factor. In addition to its theoretical value, this research brings several significant contributions to practice.     

The effects of a job crafting intervention on the success of an organizational change effort in a blue-collar work environment

The current study in a blue-collar context investigates whether a job crafting intervention may facilitate employee adaptation to organizational change, while decreasing exhaustion and increasing positive attitudes towards change and safety behaviour. It was hypothesized that the intervention would increase job crafting behaviours (i.e., seeking resources, seeking challenges, and optimizing demands) resulting in decreased employee exhaustion, and improved change attitudes and employee safety behaviour (i.e., adherence to organization’s standard operating procedures). The quasi-experimental study revealed that, after the intervention (consisting of a workshop, four weeks of job crafting implementation, and an evaluative session), employees reported an increase in two of the three trained job crafting strategies (i.e., seeking challenges, optimizing demands). Moreover, those who participated in the intervention reported lower levels of exhaustion, improved cognitive and behavioural attitudes towards change, and increased safety behaviour. The intervention was found to improve the affective, cognitive, and behavioural components of a change attitude due to increases in seeking challenges. Results were similar after controlling for quality information and leadership behaviour during the change. It is concluded that a job crafting intervention and resulting job crafting behaviour can be an effective way to achieve successful adaptation to organizational change.     

Community identity as a mediator of the relationship between socioeconomic status and altruistic behaviour in Chinese residents

Socioeconomic status is related to altruistic behaviour, but the link between them remains controversial. The present study explored the link between socioeconomic status and altruistic behaviour, as well as the psychological mechanism between them. We recruited 1,052 residents from 34 provinces in China to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status and altruistic behaviour and the mediating mechanism. Results showed that objective socioeconomic status was positively related to altruistic behaviour. Subjective socioeconomic status was positively associated with community identity and altruistic behaviour. Community identity mediated the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and altruistic behaviour. The findings suggest that enhancing individuals' community identity or subjective status perception can effectively increase their altruistic behaviour.     

Who overtakes more? Explanatory analysis of the characteristics of drivers from low/middle and high-income countries on passing frequency

The passing manoeuvre requires a driver to make decisions and take actions which are dependent on his/her behavioural characteristics and driving ability. However, previous works on passing rate models have exclusively considered geometric and traffic-related variables. This study aims at bridging this gap by investigating the influence of driver profile (i.e., age, gender, nationality - Italian or Iranian - aggressive driving scores, driving exposure) on passing frequency. A driving simulation experiment involving 54 drivers (36 Italians, 18 Iranians) was conducted along a 6.67 km segment of a two-lane rural highway with passing manoeuvres permitted along 25% of its length. Controlled factors included traffic flow and speed in the oncoming direction, and speed in the driver direction, with a total of 27 scenarios assigned to drivers based on a 3³ confounded factorial design. A Poisson regression model was used to investigate the significance of independent variables. Age and gender and their interaction term were significant, thus the effects of age and gender on the number of passing manoeuvres are mutually interdependent. Furthermore, drivers who drive less often completed fewer overtaking manoeuvres. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to understand the magnitude of change in passing frequency attributable to a variation in the explanatory variables. The findings suggest that driver characteristics have a significant effect on passing frequency and should be considered when conducting a performance and safety evaluation of two-lane roads.     

The role of attitudes in perceptions of bicycle facilities: A latent-class regression approach

While many professionals support bicycling for transportation to reduce traffic congestion and improve public health, many potential cyclists see the risks from traffic injuries as a major barrier. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of bicycle facilities on perceptions of bikeability, and how these perceptions vary among different groups. Data comes from surveys (N = 2157) deployed in ten study neighborhoods as part of two research projects. Respondents were asked to rate a series of images of hypothetical roadways in terms of perceived comfort, perceived safety, and willingness to try bicycling. Latent-class regression was used to model these responses, with bicycle facility type and roadway characteristics as explanatory variables and sociodemographics and attitudinal factors (car preference, bike enjoyment, risk tolerance, and anti-exercise) as covariates for class membership. A recurring theme among the presented solutions is the emergence of two pro-bicycle classes - risk-embracing and risk-cautious - together with a pro-car class. Results indicate that the impact of protected bicycle facilities on perceptions are much higher for the pro-bike/risk-cautious group. The major implication of these findings is that there likely exists a sizeable segment of the population that, although perhaps just as interested in bicycling as the typical pro-bicycle class, is more cautious in their perceptions of comfort and safety. Those belonging to this subgroup generally view minimal facilities as much more unsafe and uncomfortable than their risk-accepting counterparts, but have comparable perceptions regarding high-quality protected bicycle facilities.     

Driving anger scale validation: Relationship of driving anger with the aberrant driving behaviour of truck drivers

Truck-related accidents in China have substantially increased. Truck driver safety issues have elicited considerable attention from transportation safety researchers. Driving anger is one of the most important factors that influence driving behaviour. However, little knowledge about the driving anger of truck drivers was available in the relevant literature. This study aimed to (1) provide empirical data about the driving anger of truck drivers, (2) examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the driving anger scale (DAS) with a sample of truck drivers and (3) explore how the driving anger of truck drivers predicts their aberrant driving behaviour. The three-part survey data from 475 randomly selected truck drivers were collected in this study. The self-reported aberrant driving behaviour that was measured with the driving behaviour questionnaire was predicted by the drivers’ DAS ratings. One-factor structure and three-factor structure of the DAS were tested for Chinese truck drivers. Results indicated that the one-factor structure of the six-item DAS was more suitable for truck drivers than the three-factor structure. The factor structure of the DAS for Chinese truck drivers was consistent with the structure of the original version by Deffenbacher, Oetting, and Lynch (1994). The internal consistency, convergent validity and criterion-related validity of the six-item DAS were acceptable. Driving anger amongst truck drivers can be used to predict their aberrant driving behaviour. This study identified several practical implications to reduce the driving anger of truck drivers and consequently improve their driving behaviour.