Relationship of Decisional Conflict About Driving Habits Between Older Adult Drivers and Their Family Members and Close Friends
DOI: 10.1177/07334648231211742
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Summary
This secondary analysis investigates the relationship between decisional conflict regarding driving habits among older adult drivers (aged ≥70) and their family members or close friends, referred to as study partners. The study addresses the complexity of driving cessation, a decision that balances safety concerns with the loss of independence and often involves significant emotional and social dynamics. While prior research established that a driving decision aid (DDA) reduces conflict for drivers, this study specifically examines whether decisional conflict is shared between drivers and their social networks and how these dyadic relationships influence decision-making processes. The researchers utilized data from the Advancing Understanding of Transportation Options (AUTO) trial, a multi-site randomized controlled trial. The analysis focused on 228 driver-study partner dyads recruited from primary care practices in California, Colorado, and Indiana. Eligible drivers had at least one medical condition associated with driving risk and no severe cognitive impairment. Study partners were identified by drivers as individuals involved in their driving decisions. Decisional conflict was measured using the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) at baseline and post-intervention. The authors employed an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) to analyze the interconnected effects of drivers’ and study partners’ decisional conflict, controlling for factors such as transportation dependence and relationship type (spouse vs. non-spouse). The results indicated that decisional conflict was generally low for both groups, with most participants favoring the continuation of driving. However, significant dyadic associations were observed. At baseline, drivers’ and study partners’ DCS scores were positively correlated. Strong "actor effects" were found, meaning pre-intervention conflict strongly predicted post-intervention conflict for both drivers and study partners. Crucially, a significant "partner effect" was identified: higher decisional conflict in drivers at baseline was associated with slightly higher conflict in study partners post-intervention. This effect was not reciprocal; study partners’ baseline conflict did not significantly influence drivers’ post-intervention conflict. Exploratory analyses revealed that these partner effects were driven primarily by dyads where the study partner was the driver’s spouse, rather than adult children or friends. The findings suggest that decisional conflict about driving cessation is a shared experience, particularly among spouses, and that drivers’ uncertainty can transmit to their partners. The persistence of conflict post-intervention implies that single-session decision aids may not fully resolve dyadic disagreements. The authors conclude that interventions should account for the interconnected nature of these decisions, potentially requiring longitudinal support or targeted strategies for spouses to address shared conflict and facilitate safer transitions in driving habits.
Key finding
Higher decisional conflict among older adult drivers prior to intervention was significantly associated with slightly higher decisional conflict in their study partners after the intervention, particularly when the partners were spouses.
Methodology
dataset
Sample size: 228
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | author_sweep | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-28 |
| archive | success | unpaywall | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-06 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-04 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-07 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-07 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 15 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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