Understanding frustration triggers and emotional responses in driving situations

Abstract

Frustration is a complex emotional phenomenon subject to various triggers and manifested through multifaceted behavioral and affective responses. This study investigates the relationship between distinct frustration-inducing situations encountered during driving and the corresponding affective responses, focusing on the mediating role of behavioral dimensions. A total of 2244 participants answered a questionnaire on driving behavior, the likelihood of experiencing frustration in various driving situations, and affective responses in frustrating situations. Latent factors and triggers of frustration were determined using Exploratory Factor Analysis, and their relationship to driving behavior was assessed using Multiple Regression Analysis. We identified four primary clusters of situations that could trigger frustration in drivers: Unpredictable Experiences, Achievement Obstacles, Distress Elicitors and External Distractions. The emotions accompanying driver frustration clustered into four distinct dimensions: Irritation, Anxiety, Boredom, and Embarrassment. While anxiety-related emotions were central in all frustrating responses (i.e., all four clusters), the other emotion dimensions were specifically related to some of the frustration clusters. Additionally, different types of frustrating situations were characterized by different emotional responses. Furthermore, having more lapses was related to heightened frustration levels. Unraveling the complexities of frustration may aid in the further further development of traffic safety by attempting to eliminate frequent frustration triggers in driving situations.

Keywords: Behavior; Emotion; Frustration.

Fig. 1

Frustration Situations and Frustration Triggers in Driving Behavior. (a) Mean Frustration Levels for Frustration Situations. Displays the mean frustration levels for 21 distinct frustration situations (see Table 3 for the items). The frustration levels are illustrated by mean values (M), standard deviation (SD), and median. Each data point is represented by a square dot (M), a box (SD), and a horizontal bold line within the box (Median), as per APA format. The grey dots represent raw data. (b) Correlation of Frustration Triggers with Frustration Levels through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The figure illustrates the four dimensions of factors related to frustration situations, External Distractions, Distress Elicitors, Achievement Obstacles, and Unpredictable Experiences, which represent potential sources of frustration and are extracted and plotted against the frustration levels experienced by participants. As in Figure A, M, SD, and Median are presented in the figure.

Fig. 2

Frustration Reponses Correlated to Frustration. (a) Mean Frustration Correlation for Frustration Affects. The figure displays the mean frustration correlation value for 14 different frustration affects. The frustration levels are demonstrated in M, SD, and the median frustration correlation for each frustration affects. (b) Correlation of Frustration Behaviors with Frustration Levels through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The figure presents the results of the EFA that was conducted to identify primary factors associated with frustration behaviors. Four distinct factors, irritation, anxiety, boredom, and embarrassment, indicate potential frustration behaviors in participants’ experiencing frustration. M, SD, and median are presented in the figure.