Serious Psychological Distress and Emergency Room Use among Adults with Multimorbidity in the United States.

Objectives: (1) To examine the association between serious psychological distress (SPD) and emergency room (ER) use in the past 12 months among adults with multimorbidity in the United States (US) and (2) to investigate the association between SPD and the reasons for ER use.

Methods: The current study used a cross-sectional design with retrospective data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between SPD and ER use among adults with multimorbidity. Among ER users, adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to examine the association between SPD and the reasons for the ER use.

Results: After controlling for other variables, adults with multimorbidity and SPD were more likely to use ER than those with multimorbidity and no SPD (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.26, 2.04). Among ER users, there were no significant associations between SPD and the reasons for ER use after controlling for other variables.

Conclusion: Adults with multimorbidity and SPD were more likely to use ER as compared to those with multimorbidity and no SPD. Among adults with multimorbidity, routine screening for SPD may be needed to reduce the ER use.