Influence of mental health on traffic accidents among interprovincial public transport drivers: Ordinal logistic regression and SEM La Libertad (Peru)

Abstract

This quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was conducted with 110 interprovincial public transport drivers in La Libertad, Peru, to estimate the influence of mental health (MH) on traffic accidents (TA). Both constructs were operationalized and recoded at three ordinal levels, prioritizing traceability between measurement and analysis. Internal consistency was adequate (MH: α=0.853, ω=0.884; TA: α=0.803, ω=0.769). The contrast between mental health (MH) and work-attention (WA) was assessed using ordinal logistic regression (ORR) and systemic evaluative mechanics (SEM) (AMOS): ORR yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 1.69 (95% CI 0.50–5.76; p = 0.399), and SEM estimated a path with a βstd = −0.210 (p = 0.094) with moderate adjustment (χ2/df = 1.93; CFI = 0.861; RMSEA = 0.092; SRMR = 0.112). It is concluded that MH contributes as a partial modulator of risk, and screening, well-being, self-regulation, and shift/rest management are recommended.