@article{ref1,
title="Emotional Stress and Traffic Accidents: The Impact of Separation and Divorce",
journal="Epidemiology",
year="2004",
author="Lafont, S. and Chiron, Mireille and Coeuret-Pellicer, Mireille and Gueguen, Alice and Chastang, Jean-Francois and Lagarde, Emmanuel and Lagarde, Emmanuel",
volume="15",
number="6",
pages="762-766",
abstract="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). CONCLUSION:: This study suggests that recent separation and divorce are associated with an increase in serious traffic accidents.",
language="",
issn="1044-3983",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}