Risk behind the wheel: A scientometric and scoping review of sensation seeking and driving behaviour among military personnel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/ijim.20.3.2026.12751Keywords:
Sensation Seeking, Risky Driving, Military Personnel, Scientometric Analysis, Risk PerceptionAbstract
Sensation seeking is strongly linked to risky driving, a pressing issue in military populations where stress and operational demands heighten risk-taking. This study consolidates fragmented research across psychology, military health, traffic safety, and behavioural sciences through a dual-method approach combining scientometric analysis and a scoping review. Using data from Scopus and Web of Science, the scientometric analysis mapped publication trends, influential institutions, key concepts, and dominant theoretical frameworks, while the scoping review synthesised empirical evidence to identify major themes, methodological trends, and research gaps. The findings reveal growing academic interest over the past two decades, with risk-taking, risk perception, and psychological traits as central themes. Theories such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Terror Management Theory, and Deterrence Theory, were most frequently applied. Research output remains geographically concentrated, highlighting the need for broader global participation. The review further confirms that sensation seeking, impulsivity, and risk perception significantly shape driving behaviour under stress or fatigue and are influenced by factors such as gender, age, and self-confidence. This integrated synthesis clarifies the current state of knowledge and guides evidence-based interventions to enhance road safety and occupational well-being among military personnel, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 8.
References
Abdullah, K. H. (2021). Publication trends of leadership excellence: A bibliometric review using VOSviewer. Advances in Business Research International Journal, 7(1), 170–180. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/49523
Abdullah, K. H. (2022). Publication trends in biology education: A bibliometric review of 63 years. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 19(2), 465–480. https://doi.org/10.36681/tused.2022.131
Abdullah, K. H., Hashim, M. N., & Abd Aziz, F. S. (2020). A 39 years (1980–2019) bibliometric analysis of safety leadership research. TEST Engineering and Management, 83, 4526–4542. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344781099
Abdullah, K. H., & Othman, S. Z. (2022). A bibliometric mapping of five decades research in telecommuting. International Journal of Information Science and Management, 20(2), 229–245. https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.20088302.2022.20.2.14.9
Akbari, M., Bagheri Lankarani, K., Heydari, S. T., Motevalian, S. A., Tabrizi, R., Asadi-Shekari, Z., et al. (2019). Meta-analysis of the correlation between personality characteristics and risky driving behaviors. Journal of Injury and Violence Research, 11(2), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.5249/jivr.v11i2.1172
Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
Bıçaksız, P. (2021). Kişilik özellikleri ve riskli sürücülük: Bir derleme çalışması. [Journal title needed], 10(1), 259–284. https://doi.org/10.28956/GBD.845119
Breivik, G., Sand, T. S., & Sookermany, A. M. (2019). Risk-taking and sensation seeking in military contexts: A literature review. SAGE Open, 9(1), Article 2158244018824498. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018824498
Brinke, L. t., van der Cruijsen, R., Green, K., & Crone, E. (2022). Positive and negative risk-taking in adolescence and early adulthood: A citizen science study during the COVID-19 pandemic. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/n8g9m
Brookland, R. L., Begg, D. J., Langley, J. D., & Ameratunga, S. (2010). Risk perception and risky driving behaviours of adolescents and their parents: New Zealand drivers’ study. Injury Prevention, 16. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2010.029215.607
Causse, M., Dehais, F., Péran, P., Sabatini, U., & Pastor, J. (2013). The effects of emotion on pilot decision-making: A neuroergonomic approach to aviation safety. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 33, 272–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2012.04.005
Cooke, A., Smith, D., & Booth, A. (2012). Beyond PICO: The SPIDER tool for qualitative evidence synthesis. Qualitative Health Research, 22(10), 1435–1443. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312452938
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296.
Drinkwater, J. L., & Molesworth, B. R. (2010). Pilot see, pilot do: Examining the predictors of pilots’ risk management behaviour. Safety Science, 48(10), 1445–1451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.07.001
Fischer, P., Greitemeyer, T., Morton, T. A., Kastenmüller, A., Postmes, T., Frey, D., et al. (2009). The racing-game effect: Why do video racing games increase risk-taking inclinations? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(10), 1395–1409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209339628
Guggenheim, N., Taubman–Ben-Ari, O., & Ben-Artzi, E. (2020). The contribution of driving with friends to young drivers’ intention to take risks: An expansion of the theory of planned behavior. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 139, Article 105489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2020.105489
Hall, J. D., & Madsen, J. M. (2022). Can behavioral interventions be too salient? Evidence from traffic safety messages. Science, 376, Article eabm3427. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm3427
Jamt, R. E. G., Gjerde, H., Furuhaugen, H., Romeo, G., Vindenes, V., Ramaekers, J. G., et al. (2020). Associations between psychoactive substance use and sensation seeking behavior among drivers in Norway. BMC Public Health, 20(1), Article 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-8087-0
Jomnonkwao, S., Uttra, S., Khampirat, B., & Ratanavaraha, V. (2022). Applying multilevel analysis and the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) on unsafe actions under a road safety policy. PLOS ONE, 17(11), Article e0277750. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277750
Joseph, J. E., Liu, X., Jiang, Y., Lynam, D. R., & Kelly, T. H. (2009). Neural correlates of emotional reactivity in sensation seeking. Psychological Science, 20(2), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02283.x
Ju, C., Ji, M., Lan, J., & You, X. (2017). Narcissistic personality and risk perception among Chinese aviators: The mediating role of promotion focus. International Journal of Psychology, 52(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12243
Ju, U., Williamson, J., & Wallraven, C. (2022). Predicting driving speed from psychological metrics in a virtual reality car driving simulation. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 14409. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14409-1
Kerautret, L., Dabic, S., & Navarro, J. (2023). Exploring hazard anticipation and stress while driving in light of defensive behavior theory. Scientific Reports, 13(1), Article 34714. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34714-7
Kesisiklis, I. (2011). Major cost drivers of motor vehicle crashes involving Air Force military personnel and the influence of the military environment [Master’s thesis, Air Force Institute of Technology]. AFIT Scholar. https://scholar.afit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2536&context=etd
Lee, J. E. C., & Blais, A.-R. (2014). An exploratory analysis of the correlates of risk-taking propensity in Canadian military personnel. Psychology, 5(1), 53–61. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2014.51010
Lew, H. L., Kraft, M., Pogoda, T. K., Amick, M. M., Woods, P., & Cifu, D. X. (2011). Prevalence and characteristics of driving difficulties in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom combat returnees. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 48(8), 913–926. https://doi.org/10.1682/jrrd.2010.08.0140
Li, Z., Man, S. S., Chan, A. H. S., & Zhu, J. (2021). Integration of theory of planned behavior, sensation seeking, and risk perception to explain the risky driving behavior of truck drivers. Sustainability, 13(9), Article 5214. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095214
Liebel, S. W., Van Pelt, K. L., Garcia, G.-G. P., Czerniak, L. L., McCrea, M., McAllister, T. W., et al. (2020). The relationship between sport-related concussion and sensation-seeking. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(23), Article 9097. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21239097
Loo, B. P. Y., & Tsoi, K. H. (2022). Road safety strategies necessary in the second Decade of Road Safety. Journal of Global Health, 12, Article 03081. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.12.03081
Lynne-Landsman, S. D., Graber, J. A., Nichols, T. R., & Botvin, G. J. (2011). Is sensation seeking a stable trait or does it change over time? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9529-2
MacManus, D., Rona, R. J., Dickson, H., Somaini, G., Fear, N. T., & Wessely, S. (2015). Aggressive and violent behavior among military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan: Prevalence and link with deployment and combat exposure. Epidemiologic Reviews, 37(1), 196–212. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxu006
Maier, T., Rappel, M., Rhee, D.-S., Brill, S., Maderner, J., Pijahn, F., et al. (2022). Mental but no bio-physiological long-term habituation to repeated social stress: A study on soldiers and the influence of mission abroad. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, Article 1011181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1011181
Mantua, J., Bessey, A. F., Mickelson, C., Choynowski, J., Noble, J. J., Burke, T. M., et al. (2021). Sleep and high-risk behavior in military service members: A mega-analysis of four diverse U.S. Army units. Sleep, 44(4), Article zsaa221. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaa221
Masi, G., Amprimo, G., Ferraris, C., & Priano, L. (2023). Stress and workload assessment in aviation—A narrative review. Sensors, 23(7), Article 3556. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23073556
McKewen, M., Skippen, P., Cooper, P. S., Wong, A. S. W., Michie, P. T., Lenroot, R. K., et al. (2019). Does cognitive control ability mediate the relationship between reward-related mechanisms, impulsivity, and maladaptive outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood? Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(3), 653–676. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-019-00722-2
Monteiro, R. P., Coelho, G. L. de H., Hanel, P. H. P., Pimentel, C. E., & Gouveia, V. V. (2018). Personality, dangerous driving, and involvement in accidents: Testing a contextual mediated model. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 58, 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2018.06.009
Munn, Z., Peters, M. D., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), Article 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
Nagengast, A. J., Braun, D., & Wolpert, D. M. (2011). Risk-sensitivity and the mean-variance trade-off: Decision making in sensorimotor control. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1716), 2325–2332. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2518
Nicolleau, M., Mascret, N., Naude, C., Ragot-Court, I., & Serre, T. (2022). The influence of achievement goals on objective driving behavior. PLOS ONE, 17(10), Article e0276587. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276587
Norbury, A., Manohar, S. G., Rogers, R. D., & Husain, M. (2013). Dopamine modulates risk-taking as a function of baseline sensation-seeking trait. The Journal of Neuroscience, 33(32), 12982–12986. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.5587-12.2013
Norbury, A., Valton, V., Rees, G., Roiser, J. P., & Husain, M. (2016). Shared neural mechanisms for the evaluation of intense sensory stimulation and economic reward, dependent on stimulation-seeking behavior. The Journal of Neuroscience, 36(39), 10026–10038. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1048-16.2016
Obst, P., Armstrong, K., Smith, S., & Banks, T. (2011). Age and gender comparisons of driving while sleepy: Behaviours and risk perceptions. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 14(6), 539–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2011.06.005
Padrós Blázquez, F., Chora Reyes, D., & González Betanzos, F. (2021). Escala Búsqueda de Sensaciones (Forma V) de Zuckerman: Estudio psicométrico en población adolescente mexicana. [Journal title needed], 13(3), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.33881/2027-1786.RIP.13308
Putranto, L. S., Tajudin, A. N., & Bagaskara, S. (2022). The effect of boredom proneness, impulsiveness and sensation seeking to driver speeding behavior. [Journal title needed], 24(2), F27–F35. https://doi.org/10.26552/com.c.2022.2.f27-f35
Radzi, E. M., Abd Aziz, F. S., & Abdullah, K. H. (2024). The interrelation between happiness and workplace safety: A bibliometric review. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(7), Article 2024145. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024145
Radzi, E. M., Hassan, Z., Abdullah, K. H., Ismail, M. A., Noor Arzahan, I. S., & Ishak, A. (2025). Trends and developments in military safety performance: A combined scientometric and scoping study. Social Security Management Journal, 2(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.32890/ssmj2025.2.1.2
Rahardjo, I. A., & Kusumawardhani, D. E. (2020). Relationship between sensation seeking and attitude on reckless riding behavior in Jabodetabek, Indonesia. [Journal title needed], 3(2), 120–126. https://doi.org/10.7454/PROUST.V3I2.75
Ruiz-Rosero, J., Ramirez-Gonzalez, G., Williams, J. M., Liu, H., Khanna, R., & Pisharody, G. (2017). Internet of things: A scientometric review. Symmetry, 9(12), Article 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym9120301
Salameh, P., Salamé, J., Waked, M., Barbour, B., Zeidan, N., & Baldi, I. (2014). Risk perception, motives and behaviours in university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 19(3), 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2014.919599
Sarkar, S. (2006). Driving behaviors, risk perceptions, and stress: Examination of military personnel during wartime deployment. Transportation Research Board. https://trid.trb.org/view/776250
Sheppard, S. C., & Earleywine, M. (2013). Using the unmatched count technique to improve base rate estimates of risky driving behaviours among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Injury Prevention, 19(6), 382–386. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040639
Sheriff, R., Forbes, H., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., Jones, N., Fertout, M., et al. (2015). Risky driving among UK regular armed forces personnel: Changes over time. BMJ Open, 5(9), Article e008434. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008434
Simao, L. B., Carvalho, L. C., & Madeira, M. J. (2021). Intellectual structure of management innovation: Bibliometric analysis. Management Review Quarterly, 71(3), 651–677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00196-4
Siraj, R., Najam, B., & Ghazal, S. (2021). Sensation seeking, peer influence, and risk-taking behavior in adolescents. Education Research International, 2021, Article 8403024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8403024
Smith, A. P. (2016). A UK survey of driving behaviour, fatigue, risk taking and road traffic accidents. BMJ Open, 6(8), Article e011461. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011461
Son, S.-U., & Huh, J.-Y. (2014). Effects of sensation seeking and driving confidence level on reckless driving behavior in motor sports club’s members. [Journal title needed], 22(6), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.7467/KSAE.2014.22.6.075
Stahlschmidt, S., & Stephen, D. (2022). From indexation policies through citation networks to normalised citation impacts: Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions as varying resonance chambers. Scientometrics, 127(5), 2413–2431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04309-6
Struck, S., Stewart-Tufescu, A., Asmundson, A. J., Asmundson, G. G., & Afifi, T. O. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) research: A bibliometric analysis of publication trends over the first 20 years. Child Abuse & Neglect, 112, Article 104895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104895
Sun, H., Yang, F., Zhang, P., & Zhao, Y. (2023). Flight training risk identification and assessment based on the HHM-RFRM model. Sustainability, 15(2), Article 1693. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021693
Tanglai, W., Chen, C. F., Rattanapan, C., & Laosee, O. (2022). The effects of personality and attitude on risky driving behavior among public van drivers: Hierarchical modeling. Safety and Health at Work, 13(2), 187–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2022.03.005
Tisdall, L., Frey, R., Horn, A., Ostwald, D., Horvath, L., Pedroni, A., et al. (2020). Brain-behavior associations for risk taking depend on the measures used to capture individual differences. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 14, Article 587152. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.587152
Van Eck, N., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3
Van Voorhees, E. E., Moore, D. A., Kimbrel, N. A., Dedert, E. A., Dillon, K. H., Elbogen, E. B., et al. (2018). Association of posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury with aggressive driving in Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans. Rehabilitation Psychology, 63(1), 160–166. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000178
Verrall, N. (2019). Psychology, risk, health and deployed military operations. Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, 165(2), 116–119. https://doi.org/10.1136/jramc-2018-001043
Vieira, E., & Gomes, J. (2009). A comparison of Scopus and Web of Science for a typical university. Scientometrics, 81(2), 587–600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-2178-0
Wachsmann, M. S., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Hoisington, S., Gonzales, V., Wilcox, R., Valle, R., et al. (2019). Collaboration patterns as a function of research experience among mixed researchers: A mixed methods bibliometric study. The Qualitative Report, 24(12), 2954–2979. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol24/iss12/2
Whipple, E. K., Schultheis, M. T., & Robinson, K. M. (2016). Preliminary findings of a novel measure of driving behaviors in veterans with comorbid TBI and PTSD. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 53(6), 827–838. https://doi.org/10.1682/jrrd.2015.09.0172
Xie, X., Zhou, Y., Jiang, X., Xu, S., Zhang, J., Yang, C., et al. (2025). The impact of impulsivity on incident involvement in Chinese airline pilots: The serial mediating roles of risk perception and situation awareness. Safety Science, 186, Article 106833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2025.106833
Xu, S., Luo, L., Xiao, Z., Zhao, K., Wang, H., Wang, C., et al. (2019). High sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcomes during decision-making under uncertainty. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(6), 1352–1363. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-019-00751-x
Yin, Q., Dong, W., & Hou, T. (2023). Sensation-seeking traits influence risk adjustment through reward sensitivity during dynamic risky decisions. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2880953/v1
Zinzow, H. M., Brooks, J. O., & Stern, E. B. (2013). Driving-related anxiety in recently deployed service members: Cues, mental health correlates, and help-seeking behavior. Military Medicine, 178(3). https://doi.org/10.7205/milmed-d-12-00303
Zuckerman, M. (1979). Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal. Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315755496
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
