title: Potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors are prospectively associated with frequency of doctor visits and overnight hospital visits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cumulative lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors has been linked with both mental and physical health problems; however, less is known about the association between exposure to potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors with health care use. We investigated whether a higher number of potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors were prospectively associated with an increased number of doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a prospective and nationally representative study of adults aged 50+ in the United States (n=7168). We analyzed the data using a generalized linear model with a gamma distribution and log link.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A higher number of potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors were associated with an increased number of doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital. On a 10-point scale, each additional potentially traumatic event or serious life stressor was associated with an 8% increase in doctor visits after controlling for sociodemographic factors (RR=1.08, 95% CI=1.06-1.11; p<.001). Each additional potentially traumatic event or serious life stressor was also associated with an 18% increase in the number of nights spent in the hospital after controlling for sociodemographic factors (RR=1.18, 95% CI=1.10-1.27; p<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to potentially traumatic events and serious life stressors is associated with increased doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital, which may have important implications for the current standard of care.
authors: College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States. Electronic address: kgawrons@umich.edu.
authors: Katerina A B
authors: KA
authors: Gawronski
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States.
authors: Eric S
authors: ES
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Psychology, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, United States.
authors: Laura E
authors: LE
authors: Miller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: Doctor visits; Health care utilization; Lifetime trauma; Stressor; Trauma