Table 2.
An Unadjusted Comparison of the Perception of Illness and Medication Beliefs According to Medication Adherence
| Perception of Illness and Medication Beliefs | Adherent Mean (SD) | Non-Adherent Mean (SD) | Cohen’s d | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)#Consequences | ||||
| How much does your ischemic stroke affect your life? | 6.58 (2.64) | 8.14 (2.41) | 0.62 | 0.000 |
| Timeline | ||||
| How long do you think your ischemic stroke will continue? | 6.62 (2.78) | 7.69 (2.47) | 0.41 | 0.001 |
| Personal control | ||||
| How much control do you feel you have over your ischemic stroke symptoms? | 4.84 (2.60) | 5.28 (2.92) | 0.16 | 0.218 |
| Treatment control | ||||
| How much do you think your treatment can prevent your ischemic stroke? | 6.91 (2.03) | 6.95 (2.48) | 0.02 | 0.863 |
| Identity | ||||
| How much do you experience symptoms from your ischemic stroke? | 6.29 (2.16) | 7.61 (2.3) | 0.60 | 0.000 |
| Emotional Representation (concern) | ||||
| How concerned are you about your ischemic stroke? | 6.99 (2.64) | 7.94 (2.36) | 0.38 | 0.002 |
| Emotional Representation (emotions) | ||||
| How much does your ischemic stroke affect you emotionally? | 6.67 (2.52) | 7.86 (2.47) | 0.48 | 0.000 |
| Comprehensibility | ||||
| How much do you think you know about ischemic stroke? | 5.23 (2.80) | 5.10 (2.79) | 0.05 | 0.719 |
| Beliefs about medicines questionnaire (BMQ) | ||||
| Specific Necessity* | 3.58 (0.80) | 3.68 (0.84) | 0.12 | 0.344 |
| Specific Concern** | 3.05 (0.73) | 3.57 (0.89) | 0.64 | 0.000 |
| General Overuse*** | 2.88 (0.86) | 3.33 (0.91) | 0.51 | 0.000 |
| General Harm**** | 2.93 (0.78) | 3.31 (0.92) | 0.45 | 0.000 |
Notes: #Each item scored on a scale of 0–10. *Possible mean scores 1–5; a higher score indicates a greater belief that ischemic stroke medications are necessary. **Possible mean scores 1–5; a higher score indicates a greater worry about ischemic stroke medications. ***Possible mean scores 1–5; a higher score indicates a greater belief that doctors overuse or put too much trust in medicines. ****Possible mean scores 1–5; a higher score indicates a greater belief that ischemic stroke medications are harmful.