Table 4.
Determinants of chronic benzodiazepine use in older users* (n = 2490)
| Variable | Hazard rate† (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| Socio-demographic variables | |
| Age (years) | 1.04 (1.03, 1.06) |
| Female | 1.15 (0.90, 1.47) |
| Public health insurance | 1.24 (1.01, 1.51) |
| Social support | |
| Living situation | |
| With partner or other person | 1.00 (reference) |
| Alone | 0.73 (0.58, 0.93) |
| Place of residence | |
| Independently | 1.00 (reference) |
| Service flat | 1.41 (1.04, 1.92) |
| Home for the elderly | 1.50 (0.78, 2.89) |
| Psychiatric and physical health | |
| Depression, HADS-D ≥ 8 or CES-D ≥ 16 | 1.22 (0.91, 1.64) |
| Hypertension | 1.11 (0.91, 1.35) |
| Pain related joint complaints | 1.32 (1.06, 1.64) |
| Other patient characteristics | |
| Subjective health | |
| Better | 1.00 (reference) |
| Same | 1.05 (0.86, 1.29) |
| Worse | 1.34 (0.96, 1.87) |
| Alcohol | |
| None | 1.00 (reference) |
| Former | 0.84 (0.26, 2.65) |
| Current | 0.82 (0.66, 1.03) |
| Smoking | |
| None | 1.00 (reference) |
| Former | 0.88 (0.68, 1.15) |
| Current | 1.21 (0.90, 1.62) |
*
The subsample of participants who filled at least one prescription.
†
Cox proportional hazards analysis. Numbers in bold indicate independent determinants of new-onset chronic benzodiazepine use.