EFFECT STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS ON PEDESTRIAN INJURIES IN ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN THE EAST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE: A CASE CONTROL STUDY

The aim of the present study was to determine the role and effect of stressful life events during one past year on pedestrian injury in the road traffic crashes.

This case-control study had hospital-based design and was conducted during 2013-2014. First, 177 pedestrians injured by motorized vehicles during walk and being hospitalized in the Shohada University Hospital were compared with 177 appropriate controls that without any of injuries in the road traffic accidents were selected of Imam Reza University Hospital. Then stressful life events based standardized questionnaire was used to analyze the association between two groups and logistic regression test was employed.

Accordingly, 50.3% of the victims and 19.2% of the control groups were illiterate and had elementary education. Multivariate logistic regression test findings showed that variables associated with pedestrian injuries in the road traffic accidents had stressful life events such as job conflicts, education concerns, daily life, or health concerns. However, it seemed that there was an association between daily walking, economic status, and education levels on pedestrian injuries in the road traffic accidents.

The present study findings showed that any intervention toward psychological factors and decreasing socioeconomic difference may be affective in reducing pedestrian injuries in the road traffic crashes.