Relationship between Family Caregivers Attitudes toward Mental Illness and Psychotropic Medications, and Patients Adherence to Medication Regimen

Medication nonadherence is a particular challenge in psychiatric nursing practice. Enhancing adherence should involve not only assessing patients attitudes toward medication, but also their family caregivers attitudes toward mental illness and its medication regimens. Objective: This study aimed to elicit family caregivers attitudes toward mental illness and psychotropic medications, assess the degree of outpatients adherence to psychotropic medications regimen, and investigate the relationship between caregivers attitudes, and patients adherence. Setting: The study was conducted in the outpatient clinic of El- Maamoura Hospital for Psychiatric Medicine, Alexandria. Subjects: They comprised 150 family caregivers and 150 of outpatients with psychotic disorders. Tools: Four tools were used to collect the data; a Socio-Demographic, Clinical and Caregiving-Related Data Structured Interview Schedule, Family Attitude toward Mental Illness (FAMI) Scale, Family Attitude toward Psychotropic Medications (FAPM) Scale, and Adherence to PsychotropicMedications Structured Interview Schedule. Results: It was revealed that the majority of caregivers hold positive attitude towards mental illness, most of them demonstrated positive attitude towards psychotropics, and around two thirds of outpatients were adherents to the medication regimen. Statistically significant relationships were evident between caregivers’ attitude toward both mental illness and its medications, and patient s adherence. Conclusion: Patients adherence to medication regimen is significantly related to their family caregivers attitudes toward mental illness and its medications. Recommendations: Incorporating the assessment of family caregivers attitudes toward mental illness and medications into the routine psychiatric nursing practice, and involving family caregivers while implementing adherence-enhancing interventions are essential.