Table 2.
Relationship between patients’ sociodemographic, psychiatric, and medical-related data and medication adherence according to MARS-10 score.
| Item | Adherence | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poor (n = 54) | Good (n = 206) | ||
| Age (years) | |||
| 18–25 | 18 (33.33%) | 29 (14.08%) | 0.028 |
| 26–35 | 9 (16.67%) | 40 (19.42%) | |
| 36–45 | 6 (11.11%) | 34 (16.5%) | |
| 46–55 | 13 (24.07%) | 48 (23.3%) | |
| 56–65 | 6 (11.11%) | 35 (16.99%) | |
| > 65 | 2 (3.7%) | 20 (9.71%) | |
| Gender | |||
| Men | 18 (33.33%) | 63 (30.58%) | 0.698 |
| Women | 36 (66.67%) | 143 (69.42%) | |
| Marital status | |||
| Single | 27 (50%) | 61 (29.61%) | 0.037 |
| Married | 19 (35.19%) | 102 (49.51%) | |
| Divorced/Separated | 4 (7.41%) | 28 (13.59%) | |
| Widow | 4 (7.41%) | 15 (7.28%) | |
| Living condition | |||
| Alone | 2 (3.7%) | 8 (3.88%) | 0.951 |
| Living with family, friends, a roommate, etc. | 52 (96.3%) | 198 (96.12%) | |
| Education level | |||
| Uneducated | 4 (7.41%) | 28 (13.59%) | 0.304 |
| High school or below | 22 (40.74%) | 60 (29.13%) | |
| Bachelor’s degree | 25 (46.3%) | 101 (49.03%) | |
| Master’s or PhD | 3 (5.56%) | 17 (8.25%) | |
| Employment status | |||
| Unemployed | 36 (66.67%) | 119 (57.77%) | 0.487 |
| Employed | 12 (22.22%) | 60 (29.13%) | |
| Retired | 6 (11.11%) | 27 (13.11%) | |
| Mood disorder | |||
| Depressive | 42 (77.78%) | 165 (80.1%) | 0.706 |
| Bipolar | 12 (22.22%) | 41 (19.9%) | |
| Duration of illness (years) | |||
| < 1 | 3 (5.56%) | 13 (6.31%) | 0.185 |
| 1–5 | 22 (40.74%) | 59 (28.64%) | |
| 6–10 | 11 (20.37%) | 33 (16.02%) | |
| > 10 | 18 (33.33%) | 101 (49.03%) | |
| Number of psychiatric ward admissions | |||
| 0 | 36 (66.67%) | 153 (74.27%) | 0.120 |
| 1 | 8 (14.81%) | 26 (12.62%) | |
| 2–3 | 8 (14.81%) | 12 (5.83%) | |
| > 3 | 2 (3.7%) | 15 (7.28%) | |
| To what extent do you think you have a mental illness and need treatment? | |||
| I’m certain. | 31 (57.41%) | 138 (66.99%) | 0.353 |
| I’m somewhat certain. | 12 (22.22%) | 40 (19.42%) | |
| I don’t think I have a mental illness. | 11 (20.37%) | 28 (13.59%) | |
| Have you ever used any illegal substances/drugs (for example, alcohol and marijuana)? | |||
| No | 45 (83.33%) | 196 (95.15%) | 0.003 |
| Yes | 9 (16.67%) | 10 (4.85%) | |
| Number of regular medications (taken constantly, not as needed) for your mental health conditions | |||
| 1–2 | 40 (74.07%) | 167 (81.07%) | 0.134 |
| 3–4 | 4 (7.41%) | 22 (10.68%) | |
| ≥ 5 | 1 (1.85%) | 3 (1.46%) | |
| 0 | 9 (16.67%) | 14 (6.8%) | |
| How easy is it for you to get your regular medication for your mental health conditions? | (n = 45) | (n = 192) | |
| Always easy | 13 (28.89%) | 94 (48.96%) | 0.112 |
| Easy most of the time | 22 (48.89%) | 66 (34.38%) | |
| Always difficult | 5 (11.11%) | 17 (8.85%) | |
| Difficult most of the time | 5 (11.11%) | 15 (7.81%) | |
| Do you have to buy your own psychiatric medication? | |||
| Yes, always | 4 (7.41%) | 27 (13.11%) | 0.404 |
| Yes, sometimes | 35 (64.81%) | 116 (56.31%) | |
| Never | 15 (27.78%) | 63 (30.58%) | |
| Do you feel shame about taking psychiatric medication? | |||
| No | 33 (61.11%) | 176 (85.44%) | < 0.001 |
| Yes | 21 (38.89%) | 30 (14.56%) | |
| If yes, do you think that your feeling of stigma affects your adherence to taking your psychiatric medication regularly? | (n = 21) | (n = 30) | |
| No | 8 (38.1%) | 27 (90%) | < 0.001 |
| Yes | 13 (61.9%) | 3 (10%) | |
| To what extent do you feel supported by family and friends regarding your mental illness? | |||
| I feel very supported. | 18 (33.3%) | 107 (51.9%) | 0.051 |
| I feel supported to some extent. | 26 (48.1%) | 72 (35%) | |
| I don’t feel supported. | 10 (18.5%) | 27 (13.1%) | |
| Chronic diseases (such as hypertension and diabetes) | |||
| No | 29 (53.7%) | 103 (50%) | 0.628 |
| Yes | 25 (46.3%) | 103 (50%) | |
| Have you tried using alternative methods to treat your mental illness? | |||
| No | 23 (42.59%) | 92 (44.66%) | 0.785 |
| Yes | 31 (57.41%) | 114 (55.34%) | |
| Have you tried alternative methods alone or with psychiatric medication? | (n = 31) | (n = 114) | |
| Alone | 12 (38.7%) | 32 (28.1%) | 0.253 |
| With psychiatric medication | 19 (61.3%) | 82 (71.9%) | |
| Do you think alternative methods are more effective than psychiatric medication? | (n = 31) | (n = 114) | |
| No | 19 (61.29%) | 90 (78.95%) | 0.044 |
| Yes | 12 (38.71%) | 24 (21.05%) | |
Numerical data are presented as mean ± SD, categorical data as frequency (%). Statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05.