Psychiatric Patients’ Perceived Health Control and Reactance: Implications for Medication Adherence

• Published in: Patient Preference and Adherence
• Main Author: De las Cuevas C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2023-07-01
• Subjects: health locus of control; psychological reactance; psychiatric patients; treatment adherence.
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/psychiatric-patients-perceived-health-control-and-reactance-implicatio-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PPA
• ISSN: 1177-889X

Carlos De las Cuevas1,2 1Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain; 2Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, SpainCorrespondence: Carlos De las Cuevas, Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [e-mail]: Adherence to prescribed treatment is a major challenge in psychiatry, with non-adherence rates estimated to be as high as 50%. Two factors that have been suggested to influence medication adherence in psychiatric patients are perceived health control and psychological reactance. Perceived health control refers to the belief that one can control their own health outcomes, while psychological reactance refers to the negative response that occurs when individuals perceive their freedom or autonomy to be threatened. The aim of this review is to explore the possible relevance and interaction of perceived health control and psychological reactance in the adherence of psychiatric patients to their treatment. Several studies have suggested that higher levels of perceived health control are associated with better medication adherence, while higher levels of psychological reactance are associated with poorer adherence. Moreover, it has been suggested that patients with high levels of perceived health control may be more likely to experience psychological reactance if they feel that their autonomy is threatened by the treatment regimen. Taken together, these findings suggest that perceived health control and psychological reactance may interact to influence medication adherence in psychiatric patients. Future research could explore ways to enhance patients’ perceived health control while minimizing psychological reactance in order to improve treatment adherence in this population.Keywords: health locus of control, psychological reactance, psychiatric patients, treatment adherence