Department of Pharmacy, Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014 Oct 28;10:2031-7. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S71697. eCollection 2014.
Several studies have investigated the factors associated with adherence to antidepressants, with inconsistent conclusions. However, no similar study has investigated this issue among patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study is to explore patients' adherence to antidepressant medications, and the factors associated with adherence.
A non-experimental cross-sectional design was used to measure adherence to antidepressants among major depressive disorder patients, and the factors associated with adherence. The patients were recruited from the outpatient clinic at the Al-Amal Complex for Mental Health in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between August 2013 and January 2014. Eligible participants met with one of the research coordinators for assessment of their adherence. Adherence was investigated indirectly by use of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and patients' beliefs were assessed through the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire. Information about the severity of their depression, demographics, and other study variables were collected.
A total of 403 patients met the inclusion criteria and participated in the study. Of those, 203 (50.37%) were females, while the remaining 200 (49.6%) were males. There was an average age of 39 years (standard deviation, ±11 years). Half of the patients (52.9%) reported low adherence to their antidepressant medication, with statistically significant differences between the low adherence and high adherence scores relating to sex, age, and duration of illness.
Low medication adherence is a common problem among major depressive disorder patients in Saudi Arabia. Medication-taking behavior among depressed patients is influenced by several factors, mainly patients' beliefs regarding antidepressants. This study has improved the understanding of the factors associated with adherence to antidepressants.
已有多项研究调查了与抗抑郁药物依从性相关的因素，但结论不一。然而，在沙特阿拉伯被诊断为重度抑郁症的患者中，尚未有类似的研究调查这一问题。本研究旨在探讨患者对抗抑郁药物的依从性及其相关影响因素。
采用非实验性的横断研究设计，来测量重度抑郁症患者对抗抑郁药物的依从性及其相关影响因素。研究对象为 2013 年 8 月至 2014 年 1 月在沙特阿拉伯利雅得 Al-Amal 综合心理健康中心的门诊招募的患者。符合条件的参与者由研究协调员评估其药物依从性。通过 Morisky 药物依从性量表间接评估患者的依从性，通过用药信念量表评估患者的信念。同时收集患者抑郁严重程度、人口统计学资料和其他研究变量的信息。
共有 403 名符合纳入标准的患者参与了本研究。其中，女性 203 名（50.37%），男性 200 名（49.6%）；平均年龄 39 岁（标准差为±11 岁）。一半的患者（52.9%）报告对其抗抑郁药物的依从性较低，低依从性和高依从性评分之间在性别、年龄和疾病持续时间方面存在统计学显著差异。
在沙特阿拉伯，重度抑郁症患者中药物依从性低是一个普遍存在的问题。抑郁患者的服药行为受到多种因素的影响，主要是患者对抗抑郁药物的信念。本研究提高了对与抗抑郁药物依从性相关因素的理解。
