A study of drug attitude and medication adherence and its relationship with the impact of illness among the mentally ill

Background: Impact of illness may vary with the medication adherence which in turn may vary with the attitude towards drugs. There is a paucity of research examining relationships between these variables. Objective: To study the levels of drug attitude, adherence and its relationship with the impact of illness. Methods: A total of 279 participants with mental illness in remission were assessed with socio-demographic and clinical proforma, scales like Hogan Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI), Impact of Illness Scale (IIS), and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) were used. Results: Mean score on DAI, IIS, and MMAS were 2.38 (SD = 4.6), 25.88 (SD = 6.6), and 5.04 (SD = 2.2) respectively. On linear regression analysis ([R.sub.2] = .122, DF = 2, F = 17.598, p < .001) IIS Score was statistically significant but negatively associated with the score of MMAS (p < .05) and DAI (p < .05). Discussion: Impact of illness has an inverse relationship with the level of drug attitude and medication adherence. Improving drug attitude and adherence may buffer the impact of illness. Ram D et al. / Arch Clin Psychiatry. 2019;46(4):85-8 Keywords: Drug attitude, adherence, illness impact, mental illness.