• Daniel Schöni, Lara Lauber, Christian Fung, Johannes Goldberg, René Müri, Andreas Raabe, Thomas Nyffeler, and Jürgen Beck.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: daniel.schoeni@insel.ch.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 May 1; 113: e161-e165.

ObjectiveCommon sequelae of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) include somatic and/or cognitive impairment. This can cause emotional stress, social tensions, and difficulties in relationships. To test our hypothesis that more severe somatic and cognitive impairments increased the likelihood of disruption of a relationship after SAH, we assessed the integrity of marriage or partnership status in a well-evaluated subset of SAH patients.MethodsOur sample comprised 50 SAH patients who were discharged to a neurologic, in-house rehabilitation center between 2005 and 2010. Deficits on admission to the rehabilitation center were divided into 18 categories and grouped into minor and major somatic deficits, as well as cognitive deficits. Clinical outcome scores, marital/partnership status, and duration of partnership before ictus were recorded. A follow-up questionnaire after 4.3 (2012) and 8.8 (2017) years was used to assess changes in marital/partnership status. Possible predictor parameters were estimated and included in a stepdown regression analysis.ResultsIn 2012, after a mean follow-up of 4.3 years, 8 of the 50 SAH patients were divorced or separated, whereas after 8.8 years only 1 additional relationship had ended. In our regression model analysis, a "short duration of relationship" before SAH and the presence of a "few minor somatic deficits" were associated with a higher likelihood of divorce or separation in the near future and remained unchanged at long-term follow-up.ConclusionContrary to our hypothesis, neither the presence of severe somatic or cognitive deficits nor clinical evaluation scores reliably predicted divorce or separation after SAH.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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