Gender differences in attitudes towards antipsychotic medications in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract Non-adherence was more frequent in male than in female psychiatric patients. This multi-center study in China examined the gender difference with regard to attitude towards antipsychotic medications and its associations with socio-demographic variables, insight, and psychopathology. Patients’ basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected. Psychopathology and insight were measured with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire (ITAQ), respectively. Their attitudes towards antipsychotic medications were assessed by two standardized questions. Nearly 39.6% (109/275) males and 31.1% (70/225) females reported negative attitudes towards antipsychotic medications. Binary logistic regression revealed that in males single marital status (OR=2.9, 95% CI=1.3–6.4), rural residence (OR=0.4, 95% CI=0.2–0.7), longer duration of schizophrenia (OR=1.0, 95% CI=1.0–1.1), knowledge of medication (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.3–1.6) and the SCL-90 hostility subscale (OR=0.9, 95% CI=0.9–1.0) were contributors to negative attitudes. In female patients, knowledge about medications (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.3–1.6), the SCL-90 somatization (OR=0.8, 95% CI=0.8–0.9) and anxiety (OR=1.1, 95% CI=1.0–1.2) subscales were contributors to negative attitudes. The study suggested that different psychosocial and clinical factors accounted for the negative attitude towards antipsychotic treatment in male and female patients.