Development of the Medical Adherence Scale in Adolescents Using Psychotropic Medication and Evaluation of Validity and Reliability in Turkish Population

Abstract

Purpose: Although treatment non -adherence is relatively high among adolescents, there is a need for standardized measurement tools that measure adherence to treatment in adolescents. This study aimed to develop a new measurement tool to assess the adherence to treatment of adolescents with mental disorders who use psychotropic medication. Methods: The data of this methodologically designed study were collected between 01.04.2022 and 01.07.2023 in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of a university hospital in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The Medication Adherence Reporting Scale and Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale draft form were used for data collection. The scale items were formed from the themes, sub -themes, and statements in the qualitative study that the researchers had conducted with adolescents with mental disorders and their parents, clinicians' experiences, and systematic reviews and meta -synthesis in the literature. The study sample consisted of 95 adolescents with mental disorders. Exploratory factor analysis was performed with Varimax rotation to determine the factorial construct validity of the scale. Internal consistency analyses were performed in reliability analyses, and Cronbach's alpha coeff icient was used. Results: The mean age of the adolescents was 14.18 years (1.81); 50.5% were male, and 96.8% were attending school. When the mental disorder diagnoses were analyzed, 65.3% of the adolescents were being followed up with Attention De ficit and Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses, and 58.8% were using stimulants. The 12 -item form of the Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale was found to have a three -factor structure with item -total correlation values ranging between 0.26 and 0.66, and these factors were named functionality, responsibility in treatment, and medication adherence. Factor loadings ranged between 0.44 and 0.86, and the items explained 62.98% of the total variance. The internal consistency coef ficients of the scale were between 0.69 and 0.83 for the subscales and 0.82 for the total scale. Conclusion: Based on the analysis and results used in this study, the Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale is a valid and reliable new measurement tool. Practice implications: This tool can be used in clinical settings to evaluate adolescents' treatment adherence and prognosis. Clinical studies conducted with adolescents can also determine adherence to treatment and affecting factors. (c) 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.