Psychosocial factors associated with medication adherence in ethnically and socioeconomically diverse patients with epilepsy

The current study examined psychosocial correlates of medication adherence in a socioeconomically and racially diverse sample of patients with epilepsy. Fifty-five patients with epilepsy completed standardized self-report questionnaires measuring depression, stress, social support, and medication and illness beliefs. Antiepileptic drug (AED) adherence was measured using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale 36% reported poor adherence. We tested which psychosocial factors were independently and most strongly associated with AED adherence. Stress and depression were negatively correlated with adherence, while perceived social support was positively correlated with adherence (Ps < .05). When all three of these variables and relevant covariates in a multiple regression model were included, only perceived social support remained a significant predictor of adherence (P = .015). This study is one of the first to suggest the importance of targeting social support in screening and intervention approaches in order to improve AED adherence among low-income, racially/ethnically diverse patients with epilepsy.