Multifactor Regression Models of Adherence to Treatment in Patients with Schizophrenia and Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders and Their Relatives

Purpose: formation of multifactor regression models of adherence to treatment of patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenic spectrum disorders and their family members to identify the relationship with socio-demographic, clinical, psychological characteristics, family environment factors and the quality of psychiatric care in order to develop measures to  improve the compliance of these groups. Patients and methods : the study involved 107 patients (44 men and 63 women), with diagnoses of schizophrenia (F.20), schizoaffective (F.25) and schizotypal disorders (F.21), eligible the ICD-10 criteria, as well as 105 of their relatives (27 men and 78 women). The following methods were used: сlinical and psychopathological, psychometric, psychological, statistical (correlation and regression analysis), methods of system analysis, method of hierarchy analysis. Results: regression models were built and factors positively or negatively influencing adherence to treatment in groups of patients and their relatives,  formed depending on gender differences, awareness of the disease or its  denial, as well as on the clinical characteristics of patients, were identified. Gender factors affecting adherence to treatment in men include social functioning, education and income; for women — the motivation for treatment and characteristics of family relationships. In the groups of patients and their relatives, selected depending on the awareness of the disease or its denial, the dominant factors influencing compliance were the duration of the disease, the frequency of hospitalizations, patients’ disability,  the level of education of relatives, forgetfulness of taking medications, etc. In groups, depending on the clinical characteristics of patients, the compliance of patients and relatives was influenced by the age of the patient, the level of  motivation for treatment of patients and their relatives, the employment of patients and the level of their social functioning, conflict, hostile relations  in the family and a number of other factors. Conclusion: knowledge of the factors that affect the adherence to treatment of schizophrenia patients and their family members will contribute to the development of practical measures to improve it. Psychosocial interventions have been proposed to increase adherence to treatment in patients with  schizophrenia and schizophrenic spectrum disorders and their families.