Treatment adherence among adolescents with epilepsy: What really matters?

Treatment adherence is often suboptimal among adolescents with epilepsy. However, knowledge is lacking regarding factors that affect adherence. Empirical studies and theories of human development suggest that self-management skills, self-efficacy, and sense of control are related to adherence. Eighty-eight adolescents with epilepsy, and their parents, completed standardized measures assessing epilepsy knowledge and expectations, treatment self-management, sense of control, and self-efficacy. Better self-reported parent adherence was correlated with greater epilepsy knowledge/expectations (p < 0.001) and more medications (p = 0.042). Better self-reported adolescent adherence was correlated with fewer siblings (p = 0.003) and higher adolescent epilepsy knowledge/expectations (p < 0.001). Greater adolescent epilepsy knowledge/expectations correlated with parent self-reported adherence (p < 0.001), Powerful others locus of control (p = 0.008), and adolescent/parent discordance regarding epilepsy knowledge/expectations (p < 0.001). Interventions that enhance adolescent's knowledge of epilepsy and their treatment plan, while ensuring that teens and parents are in agreement with regard to epilepsy treatment, might contribute to better adherence.

► Treatment adherence is often suboptimal among adolescents with epilepsy. ► We assessed predictors of self-reported treatment adherence and epilepsy knowledge. ► Better epilepsy knowledge predicted improved self-reported adolescent adherence. ► Discordance between parent and adolescent responses predicted poorer adherence. ► Enhancing families' knowledge of epilepsy and its treatment may improve adherence.