This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Merlo, J. Articles by Melander, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Merlo, J. Articles by Melander, A. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Stress Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Mortality in elderly men with low psychosocial coping resources using anxiolytic - hypnotic drugs

Department of Community Medicine, Malmo University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, juan.merlo{at}smi.mas.lu.se

Per-Olof Östergren

Department of Community Medicine, Malmo University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö

Nils-Ove Mansson

Department of Community Medicine, Malmo University cHospital, Lund University, Malmo

Bertil S. Hanson

Department of Community Medicine, Malmo University cHospital, Lund University, Malmo

Jonas Ranstam

The NEPI Foundation, Malmö and Stockholm, Sweden

Göran Blennow

Department of Psychiatry, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö

Sven-Olof Isacsson

Department of Community Medicine, Malmo University cHospital, Lund University, Malmo

Arne Melander

The NEPI Foundation, Malmö and Stockholm, Sweden

Objective: Insufficient coping with stress may lead to increased susceptibility for disease and death. Use of anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs has been suggested as a coping strategy, and some opinions have proposed their use as preventive medication. The aim of this study was to estimate if use of anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs counters the increased mortality observed in individuals lacking other coping strategies such as emotional support and social participation. Methods: A population based cohort study with 10-year (1982/83 - 1993) survival analysis was performed in 491 men born in 1914, living in the Swedish city of Malmö. Results: Compared with men with a high level of psychosocial coping resources who did not use anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs, men with a low level of psychosocial coping resources had a higher risk of death irrespective whether they used anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs, RR=1.7 (95% CI 1.1 - 2.6) or not (RR=1.8 (95%: 1.3 - 2.5). Conclusion: Anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs do not seem to counter increased mortality in elderly men with low psychosocial coping resources.

Key Words: anxiolytic - hypnotic drugs • coping • elderly • emotional support • mortality • social participation.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 28, No. 4, 294-297 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/14034948000280041301


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?