Emotional stress and traffic accidents: the impact of separation and divorce.
BACKGROUND
Personal responses to stressful life events are suspected of increasing the risk of serious traffic accidents.


METHODS
We analyzed data from a French cohort study (the GAZEL cohort), including a retrospective driving behavior questionnaire, from 13,915 participants (10,542 men age 52-62 years and 3373 women age 47-62 years in 2001). Follow-up data covered 1993-2000. Hazard ratios for serious accidents (n = 713) were computed by Cox's proportional hazard regression with time-dependent covariates. Separate analyses were also performed to consider only at-fault accidents.


RESULTS
Marital separation or divorce was associated with an increased risk of a serious accident (all serious accidents: hazard ratio 2.9, 95% confidence interval = 1.7-5.0; at-fault accidents: 4.4, 2.3-8.3). The impact of separation and divorce did not differ according to alcohol consumption levels. Other life events associated with increased risk of serious accident were a child leaving home (all accidents: 1.2, 0.97-1.6; at-fault accidents: 1.5, 1.1-2.1), an important purchase (all accidents: 1.4, 1.1-1.7; at-fault accidents: 1.6, 1.2-2.1), and hospitalization of the partner (all accidents: 1.4, 1.1-2.0).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that recent separation and divorce are associated with an increase in serious traffic accidents.
INSERM U88, 94415 Saint-Maurice, France. emmanuel.lagarde@st-maurice.inserm.fr
Emmanuel
E
Lagarde
Jean-François
JF
Chastang
Alice
A
Gueguen
Mireille
M
Coeuret-Pellicer
Mireille
M
Chiron
Sylviane
S
Lafont
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires