Alcohol intoxication is often involved in the commission of criminal behaviors that are risky and involve personal confrontation. Individuals who reported having three or more drinks before driving exhibited greater impulsivity when under the influence of alcohol than did those who did not report heavy drinking before driving.

The present study utilized the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) to compare the characteristics of individuals with a single driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense with individuals who were multiple DWI offenders and to identify whether there was a typical profile for multiple offenders.

The charts of patients were examined in terms of demographic characteristics including age, sex, employment, and education; the MMPI scores of the two groups were compared using an independent t-test, and we identified the typical profile of multiple DWI offenders by using hierarchical cluster analysis with Ward's method.

Scores on the F and the depression (D) scales of the MMPI-2 were significantly higher among multiple offenders than among first offenders. The multiple offenders-I group obtained relatively high scores on the D and psychopathic deviate (Pd) scales, and the multiple offenders-II group had low scores on both the hypomania (Ma) and social introversion (Si) scales. Thus, some multiple offenders may have poorer emotional adjustment, characterized by tendencies toward psychopathic deviance, mania, and depression, as well as psychopathological characteristics associated with patients with alcohol-use disorders.

The present findings suggest that multiple offenders should be considered a high-risk group for alcohol-use disorders and recurrent drunken driving.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.