IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0181716.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of personality in health care use: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • André Hajek
  • Jens-Oliver Bock
  • Hans-Helmut König

Abstract

Objective: To determine the role of personality in health care use longitudinally. Methods: Data were derived from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of German households starting in 1984. Concentrating on the role of personality, we used data from the years 2005, 2009 and 2013. Personality was measured by using the GSOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S). Number of physician visits in the last 3 months and hospital stays in the last year were used as measures of health care use. Results: Adjusting for predisposing factors, enabling resources, and need factors, fixed effects regressions revealed that physician visits increased with increasing neuroticism, whereas extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness did not affect physician visits in a significant way. The effect of self-rated health on physician visits was significantly moderated by neuroticism. Moreover, fixed effects regressions revealed that the probability of hospitalization in the past year increased with increasing extraversion, whereas the other personality factors did not affect this outcome measure significantly. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that changes in neuroticism are associated with changes in physician visits and that changes in extraversion are associated with the probability of hospitalization. Since recent studies have shown that treatments can modify personality traits, developing interventional strategies should take into account personality factors. For example, efforts to intervene in changing neuroticism might have beneficial effects for the healthcare system.

Suggested Citation

  • André Hajek & Jens-Oliver Bock & Hans-Helmut König, 2017. "The role of personality in health care use: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0181716
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181716
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181716
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181716&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0181716?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher Boyce & Alex Wood & Nattavudh Powdthavee, 2013. "Is Personality Fixed? Personality Changes as Much as “Variable” Economic Factors and More Strongly Predicts Changes to Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 111(1), pages 287-305, March.
    2. Verbrugge, Lois M. & Jette, Alan M., 1994. "The disablement process," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Gert G. Wagner & Joachim R. Frick & Jürgen Schupp, 2007. "The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) – Scope, Evolution and Enhancements," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 127(1), pages 139-169.
    4. Oliver Lipps, 2009. "Attrition of Households and Individuals in Panel Surveys," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 164, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    5. Jule Specht & Boris Egloff & Stefan C. Schmukle, 2011. "Stability and Change of Personality across the Life Course: The Impact of Age and Major Life Events on Mean-Level and Rank-Order Stability of the Big Five," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 377, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Moritz Hadwiger & Hans-Helmut König & André Hajek, 2019. "Determinants of Frequent Attendance of Outpatient Physicians: A Longitudinal Analysis Using the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-10, May.
    2. André Hajek & Benedikt Kretzler & Hans-Helmut König, 2020. "Personality and the use of cancer screenings. A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, December.
    3. André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König, 2020. "The Association of Post-Materialism with Health Care Use. Findings of a General Population Survey in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-11, November.
    4. André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König, 2018. "Informal caregiving and personality: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-11, September.
    5. André Hajek & Freia De Bock & Lothar H. Wieler & Philipp Sprengholz & Benedikt Kretzler & Hans-Helmut König, 2020. "Perceptions of Health Care Use in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König, 2018. "Informal caregiving and personality: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-11, September.
    2. Jule Specht & Boris Egloff & Stefan C. Schmukle, 2012. "Examining Mechanisms of Personality Maturation: The Impact of Life Satisfaction on the Development of Big Five Personality Traits," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 455, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Cabane, Charlotte & Hille, Adrian & Lechner, Michael, 2015. "Mozart or Pelé? The effects of teenagers’ participation in music and sports," Economics Working Paper Series 1509, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    4. Sarah Flèche & Richard Layard, 2017. "Do More of Those in Misery Suffer from Poverty, Unemployment or Mental Illness?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(1), pages 27-41, February.
    5. Beatrice Rammstedt & Frank M. Spinath & David Richter & Jürgen Schupp, 2013. "Personality Changes in Couples: Partnership Longevity and Personality Congruence in Couples," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 585, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Adrian Chadi, 2019. "Dissatisfied with life or with being interviewed? Happiness and the motivation to participate in a survey," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 53(3), pages 519-553, October.
    7. Hille, Adrian & Schupp, Jürgen, 2015. "How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 44, pages 56-82.
    8. Letizia Mencarini & Raffaella Piccarreta & Marco Le Moglie, 2022. "Life‐course perspective on personality traits and fertility with sequence analysis," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(3), pages 1344-1369, July.
    9. Cuesta, Maite Blázquez & Budría, Santiago, 2015. "Income deprivation and mental well-being: The role of non-cognitive skills," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 16-28.
    10. Dusanee Kesavayuth & Robert E Rosenman & Vasileios Zikos, 2022. "Leaving the labor market: Exit routes, personality traits and well-being," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-20, March.
    11. Chadi, Adrian & Hetschko, Clemens, 2013. "Flexibilisation without hesitation? Temporary contracts and workers' satisfaction," Discussion Papers 2013/3, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    12. Lemola, Sakari & Richter, David, 2013. "The Course of Subjective Sleep Quality in Middle and Old Adulthood and Its Relation to Physical Health," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 68(5), pages 721-729.
    13. Cabane, Charlotte & Hille, Adrian & Lechner, Michael, 2016. "Mozart or Pelé? The effects of adolescents' participation in music and sports," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 90-103.
    14. Ricardo Pagan, 2020. "Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-16, December.
    15. Adrian Chadi & Clemens Hetschko, 2021. "How Job Changes Affect People's Lives — Evidence from Subjective Well‐Being Data," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 279-306, June.
    16. Deborah Cobb-Clark, 2015. "Locus of control and the labor market," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-19, December.
    17. Schäfer, Konrad C., 2017. "An Investigation Into the Stability of the Big-Five in Germany," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-600, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    18. Sarah Dahmann & Silke Anger, 2014. "The Impact of Education on Personality: Evidence from a German High School Reform," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 658, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    19. Jule Specht & Boris Egloff & Stefan C. Schmukle, 2012. "Everything under Control?: The Effects of Age, Gender, and Education on Trajectories of Perceived Control in a Nationally Representative German Sample," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 445, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    20. Mine Kühn & Christian Dudel & Tobias C. Vogt & Anna Oksuzyan, 2017. "Trends in gender differences in health and mortality at working ages among West and East Germans," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2017-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0181716. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.