Convergent Validity of Leon Steiner's Measure of Driving Phobia

Background: There is a great need for psychological instruments to evaluate post-accident driving anxiety in a standardized manner. Steiner’s Automobile Anxiety Inventory is a 23 item questionnaire of which 18 can be scored to provide a quantitative measure of vehicular anxiety (amaxophobia) as common in survivors of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs).

Method: Scores on Steiner’s questionnaire were available for 33 survivors of car accidents (mean age 39.5 years, SD=12.8, 9 men, 24 women). Their scores on the Driving Anxiety Questionnaire and on Whetstone Vehicle Anxiety Questionnaire were also available, as well as scores on measures of PTSD (PCL-5), and of post-concussive and whiplash symptoms, pain, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

Results and Discussion: Significant correlations of moderate size were found of Steiner’s questionnaire to the Driving Anxiety Questionnaire (r=.49) and Whetstone questionnaire (r=.45) and also to the PCL-5 measure of PTSD symptoms (r=.57). Steiner’s scores were significantly, but on a weaker level, correlated with scales of post-concussive and whiplash symptoms, but not with age, gender, measures of pain or insomnia, or with number of prior MVAs or with number of weeks since the MVA.

Conclusion: The results indicate an acceptable convergent validity of Steiner’s Automobile Anxiety Inventory as a brief screening tool for driving phobia in clinical settings.

Keywords: amaxophobia, driving phobia, driving anxiety, PTSD, post-concussion syndrome, whiplash.