Does transpersonal trust moderate the association between chronic conditions and general practitioner visits in the oldest old? Results of the AgeCoDe and AgeQualiDe study

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international 2019-08, Vol.19 (8), p.705-710
• Main Authors: 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, Riedel‐Heller, Steffi G, König, Hans‐Helmut, Abholz, Heinz Harald, Bachmann, Cadja, Bickel, Horst, Blank, Wolfgang, Eifflaender‐Gorfer, Sandra, Ernst, Annette, Jessen, Frank, Kaduszkiewicz, Hanna, Kaufeler, Teresa, Köhler, Mirjam, Koppara, Alexander, Lubisch, Diana, Luppa, Melanie, Mallon, Tina, Mayer, Manfred, Prokein, Jana, Ramirez, Alfredo, Roehr, Susanne, Schumacher, Anna, Steinmann, Susanne, Tebarth, Franziska, van den Bussche, Hendrik, van der Leeden, Carolin, Weckbecker, Klaus, Wolfsgruber, Steffen, Zimmermann, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aged ≥80 years; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic illnesses; Cohort Studies; Female; General Practitioners - psychology; General Practitioners - statistics & numerical data; Germany; health care; Health risk assessment; health services for the aged; Health Services for the Aged - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Multiple Chronic Conditions - epidemiology; Multiple Chronic Conditions - psychology; Multiple Chronic Conditions - therapy; Needs Assessment; Office Visits - statistics & numerical data; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Physician-Patient Relations; Primary care; Quality of Life; religious beliefs; Spirituality; Trust
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.13693

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