TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Blunted cortisol reactivity and risky driving in young offenders - a pilot study
JO  - International journal of adolescent medicine and health
A1  - Couture, Sophie
A1  - Ouimet, Marie Claude
A1  - Dedovic, Katarina
A1  - Laurier, Catherine
A1  - Plusquellec, Pierrich
A1  - Brown, Thomas G.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Adolescent risky driving is a significant burden on public health. Young offenders (i.e. under custody and supervision of the criminal justice system) may be particularly vulnerable, but research is scant. Previous work indicated that blunted cortisol reactivity to stress is a marker of risk-taking predisposition, including risky driving. In this study, we hypothesized that young offenders display higher levels of risky driving than a non-offender comparison group, and that cortisol reactivity contributes to the variance in risky driving independent of other associated characteristics (i.e. impulsivity, risk taking, alcohol and drug use). We found that young offenders (n = 20) showed riskier driving in simulation than comparison group (n = 9), and blunted cortisol reactivity was significantly associated with risky driving. The results suggest young offenders are prone to risky driving, and that individual differences in the cortisol stress response may be an explanatory factor.    Keywords: Juvenile justice <p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0334-0139
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2017-0123
ID  - ref1
ER  -