Life events and risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage: the australasian cooperative research on subarachnoid hemorrhage study (ACROSS).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Because little evidence exists and the topic often raises concerns, we aimed to determine the relationship between life events and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in a population-based case-control setting. METHODS In 388 SAH incident cases and 473 frequency-matched community SAH-free control subjects, information on the occurrence of 12 types of adverse life events in the preceding 1 and 2 to 12 months was obtained by interview using a questionnaire based on the Social Behavior Assessment Schedule. Analyses involved logistic regression models with adjustment for confounding variables. RESULTS Among 12 life events, only 2 ("financial/legal problems" and "other") in the past month were marginally associated with SAH (P=0.04 and 0.03, respectively), whereas "physical attack/assault" and "injury/disease of a relative/friend/pet" during the past 2 to 12 months also showed similarly marginally significant and imprecise associations (inversely) with SAH. There were no clear associations between multiple life events and SAH for both the prior month and 2 to 12 months (both P>0.4). CONCLUSIONS Life events are unlikely to have appreciable effects on the risk of SAH.