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Does transpersonal trust moderate the association between chronic conditions and general practitioner visits in the oldest old? Results of the AgeCoDe and AgeQualiDe study
Author(s) -
Hajek André,
Brettschneider Christian,
Eisele Marion,
Lühmann Dagmar,
Mamone Silke,
Wiese Birgitt,
Weyerer Siegfried,
Werle Jochen,
Fuchs Angela,
Pentzek Michael,
Stein Janine,
Luck Tobias,
Weeg Dagmar,
Mösch Edelgard,
Heser Kathrin,
Wagner Michael,
Scherer Martin,
Maier Wolfgang,
RiedelHeller Steffi G,
König HansHelmut
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.13693
Subject(s) - medicine , poisson regression , incidence (geometry) , transpersonal , rate ratio , cohort study , chronic disease , prospective cohort study , gerontology , demography , confidence interval , population , environmental health , psychology , physics , sociology , optics , psychotherapist
Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate whether transpersonal trust (TPT) moderates the relationship between chronic conditions and general practitioner (GP) visits among the oldest old in Germany. Methods The multicenter prospective cohort Study on Needs, health service use, costs and health‐related quality of life in a large sample of oldest old primary care patients (85+) (AgeQualiDe) was carried out. Individuals were recruited through GP offices at six study centers in Germany (follow‐up wave 7). Primary care patients were aged ≥85 years ( n = 861, mean age 89.0 years; range 85–100 years). The self‐reported number of outpatient visits to the GP was used as the outcome measure. To explore religious and spiritual beliefs, the short form of the Transpersonal Trust scale was used. The presence or absence of 36 chronic conditions was recorded by the GP. Results Multiple Poisson regressions showed that GP visits were positively associated with the number of chronic conditions (incidence rate ratio 1.03, P < 0.05). TPT moderated the relationship between chronic conditions and GP visits (incidence rate ratio 1.01, P < 0.05). The association between chronic conditions and GP visits was significantly more pronounced when TPT was high. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of TPT in the relationship between chronic conditions and GP visits. Future longitudinal studies are required to clarify this subject further. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 705–710 .