A longitudinal analysis of discrete negative emotions and health-services use in elderly individuals

To test the hypothesis that everyday, discrete negative emotions-anger, frustration, sadness, and fear-relate to health-service use in later life.

Community-dwelling adults (n = 345) ages 72 to 99 were interviewed about the frequency of recently experienced emotions. Physician visits and hospital admissions in the subsequent 2 years were outcomes. Covariates included prior use of health services, chronic illness, functional status, and demographics.

Age, education, and gender moderated relations between negative emotions and health care use. More frustration was associated with fewer physician visits among older individuals. Sadness was associated with more hospital admissions for women. Among those with more education, frequent anger was associated with more physician visits. Projected effects of negative emotions resulted in increases in health-service use, ranging from 18% to 33%.

The interactions indicate the importance of negative emotions and the larger social and developmental context in health care services use among elderly individuals.