Poor impulse control and heightened attraction to alcohol-related imagery in repeat DUI offenders

Background Research suggests that DUI offenders have an increased prevalence of alcohol abuse and higher levels of impulsivity compared with drivers with no history of DUI. However, reports linking alcohol consumption, impulsivity, and DUI offenses are primarily based on self-reports and fail to identify specific behavioral and cognitive mechanisms that might underlie impulsivity and contribute to the recidivism of drinking and driving offenses. Aims This study directly assessed inhibitory control and attention to alcohol-related images in firsttime versus recidivist DUI offenders. Methods Three groups of subjects participated in the study: repeat DUI offenders (those with two or more DUIs within a five year period), first-time-DUI offenders, and control drivers with no history of a DUI offense. Subjects performed a visual probe task that measured their attention toward alcohol-related images and a go/no-go task that assessed their inhibitory control. Results There were no differences in the quantity or frequency of drinking among the three groups. Repeat offenders reported more alcohol-related problems, greater cognitive preoccupation with alcohol and higher trait impulsivity compared with the other drivers. Repeat offenders also displayed greater attention toward alcohol-related cues and poorer inhibitory control compared with first-time offenders and drivers with no history of DUI. By contrast, first-time offenders did not differ from non-offenders in inhibitory control, attention to alcohol, cognitive preoccupation with alcohol, or trait impulsivity. Discussion and Conclusions Findings from this laboratory study highlight potentially important differences in cognitive and behavioral mechanisms between recidivist DUI offenders and first-time offenders. The results indicate that deficits in inhibitory control and attentional bias toward alcohol may underlie the heightened levels of impulsivity commonly self-reported by DUI offenders. Moreover, attentional bias to alcohol and poor inhibitory control might be especially characteristic of repeat offenders and possibly undermine treatment and prevention efforts in this population.