Predictors of medication adherence in children receiving psychotropic medication

Abstract

Medication adherence is poor in many young people with chronic illness. However, little research has examined medication adherence in clinic samples of young people receiving psychotropic medication, and whether factors such as disorder or drug type influence adherence. This study aimed to examine medication adherence in children and adolescents receiving psychotropic medication. Young people receiving psychotropic medication and their caregivers were recruited from pharmacy and mental health services within a large metropolitan hospital. A brief cross-sectional survey examined medication history, missed doses within the previous week and other clinical information. Multiple regression analysis examined whether child characteristics, drug type and regimen characteristics were associated with medication adherence. Poor adherence was associated with lack of parental involvement in medication routines (P < 0.05), use of complementary medicines (P < 0.01) and difficulty remembering doses (P < 0.01). Developmental diagnoses (P < 0.05), use of antipsychotics (P < 0.05) and use of concomitant non-psychotropic medication (P < 0.05) were predictors of good adherence. Encouraging parental involvement in medication routines may be a practical target for clinicians aiming to improve medication adherence in young people. Use of complementary medicines may indicate a group with a higher risk of poorer adherence.