No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2022
Non adherence to psychotropic drugs is associated with negative outcomes, including hospitalizations, aggressive behaviors, suicide attempts and increased premature mortality. It represents a psychiatric challenge, especially in young adults who show higher risk of non-adherence to treatment
Firstly this study evaluates the incidence of non-adherence to therapy in 18-24 years patients from a Psycho-Social Center in Milan; and then to analyze the predictive factors of non-adherence.
In this retrospective “Real Life” observational study, 120 outpatients aged 18 to 24 years, from Psycho-social Center of L. Sacco University Hospital in Milan, were recruited in 2019. Non-adherence to treatment, according to the World Health Organization, was considered “a modality of assuming medications that does not correspond to healthcare professionals’ recommendations”. Statistical analysis were performed with chi-square, ANOVA and linear regression tests, setting significance to p<0.05.
88 of 120 outpatients (73.3%) received an indication to psychopharmacological treatment. Of these, 23 (26.1%) did not show adherence to therapy. Results showed a positive association between non-adherence and increased hospitalizations (p <.01), oral antipsychotics (p<.05) and drop-out rates (p<.001). A significant correlation was also observed between non-adherence and Intellectual Disability (p<.05), Bipolar Disorder (p<.05), psychotic symptoms (p<.05), alterations in affectivity and mood (p<.005), alterations in sleep pattern (p<.05), school dropout (p<.05) and poor family support (p<.01).
This study confirms that non-adherence has a relevant incidence in young-adults psychiatric population, highlighting the importance of effective and structured assessment in clinical practice to identify predictive factors and risk profiles associated with this phenomenon.
No significant relationships.
Comments
No Comments have been published for this article.