Psychologic distress as a longterm predictor of medical utilisation

To study baseline psychologic distress as a predictor of self-reported medical utilisation after nine years of follow-up.

in 1975-1978 we measured psychologic distress with a neuroticism scale in a general population sample of 826 women aged forty-five to sixty-four years. In the same study, and in a follow-up study nine years later, medical utilisation was quantified as the main outcome in terms of current treatment by a physician and current use of medication.

The age and educational class adjusted odds ratio of baseline physician contact and use of medication for the upper versus the lower quintile of the neuroticism score were 3.3 (95% confidence interval (c.i.): 2.0-5.2) and 3.6 (95% c.i.: 2.2-5.7), respectively. When the baseline neuroticism scores were related to utilisation at follow-up the adjusted odds ratios were 2.1 (95% c.i.: 1.2-3.1) and 2.8 (95% c.i.: 1.8-4.5). However, in the subgroup of 352 women who did not report initial medical utilisation the odds ratios were 1.1 (95% c.i.: 0.5-2.4) and 1.4 (95% c.i.: 0.6-3.1).

Although an association between psychologic distress and medical utilisation was confirmed, psychologic distress did not predict utilisation in middle-aged women characterised at baseline as non-utilizers.