Title

Predicting Children's Adherence to Asthma Medication Regimens

Abstract

Adherence to asthma medications is a significant problem among children. Research suggests that less than half of all children on such regimens are adherent (Bender, Milgrom, & Rand, 1997). This study examined potential predictors of non-adherence to asthma treatment regimens among 60 children, 8 to 12 years of age, and included demographic and disease-related measures, and psychosocial measures derived from Social Learning Theory. The children's adherence to inhaled steroids was measured for 2 weeks using an electronic monitor. Hierarchical regression modeling indicated that the psychosocial measures did not significantly augment the prediction of children's mean adherence expressed as a continuous variable. By contrast, when adherence was converted into the traditional status measure (non-adherent versus adherent, depending on whether mean adherence ≥ 80%), the combination of the child's belief in self-efficacy and the child's treatment outcome expectancy significantly improved upon the prediction of adherence achieved by demographic and disease-related measures. Unlike the latter measures, the psychosocial measures are potentially ameliorable by intervention. Therefore, treatment providers might consider working with children to increase their sense of self-efficacy and their confidence in treatment outcomes.

Department(s)

Psychology

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100550

Keywords

asthma, adherence, self-efficacy

Publication Date

2010

Journal Title

Journal of Behavioral Health and Medicine 1

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