Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for the elderly on driving behavior and emotional state: a randomized controlled trial

With the increase of age, the cognitive ability and psychological flexibility of elderly drivers decrease, which will affect their driving behavior. The purpose of this study is to explore the driving characteristics of the elderly by comparing the driving behavior differences between 17 young drivers and 16 elderly drivers and then examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in driving training for the elderly through a randomized controlled experiment (RCT). Young drivers and elderly drivers were divided into the control group (CG) and intervention group (IG). The CG received routine driving training, and the IG received cognitive-behavioral training. During the experiment, we measured driving skills, cognitive load, emotional state, and eye movement data. Results showed that elderly people have poor driving performance and mental flexibility, but they can adopt conservative compensation measures to adapt to driving tasks. In addition, compared with the CG, the acceleration of the IG group decreased, and IG group showed more positive emotional state. Analysis of eye-movement data also showed that CBT was more effective at improving visual attention and risk perception in elderly adults. In conclusion, driving training based on CBT can improve the driving skills and emotional state of the elderly better than conventional training. Future studies should consider applying this method in driving training for the elderly to enhance their cognition of driving behavior.