Perceived control as a buffer in the use of health care services

Gerontologists are increasingly interested in the notion of perceived perso nal control because such perceptions can be threatened by age-related chang es such as declining health and the loss of loved ones. Although a great de al is known about the central role of perceived control in healthy, success ful aging, less is known about its potential role in specific contexts such as the use of health services. Our study examined the link between perceiv ed control and patterns of health service use among older individuals with arthritis. We assessed perceived control during an interview: using both a domain-specific and a global measure, and considered health service use in the subsequent year. Even after statistically adjusting for age and morbidi ty, individuals who perceived low levels of control subsequently were found to use more health services than their high-control counterparts; they vis ited their physicians more often, had more laboratory tests, and stayed lon ger in the hospital. This was true, however only for individuals who had al so reported that their arthritis restricted the things they were able to do . Various interpretations are considered, including the possibility that pa tients with low perceived control are inefficient users of health services or that patients with high perceived control experience a deficiency in hea lth care.