Assessing the adherence to treatment among patients with cardiovascular diseases in Kermanshah, Iran

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the psychological determinants of
adherence to treatment among patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) referring to Imam
Ali Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 227 patients (mean age=58.10, SD =
13.44) with CVDs, randomly selected amongst those admitted to Imam Ali cardiovascular center
of Kermanshah in 2018. Data were collected through Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ),
the Jefferson Scale of Patient’s Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE), the Illness Perception
Questionnaire (IPQ), and Adherence to Treatment Questionnaire. The relationships between
the criterion and predictor variables were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient and
linear regression (stepwise method) in IBM SPSS Statistics-23.
Results: The adherence to treatment was associated with meaning in life (r=0.367), patients’
perceptions of physician empathy (r=0.218), and illness perception (r=-0.238), at the 0.01
level. Meaning in life, patient’s perceptions of physician empathy, and illness perception
explained 18.6% of the variance in adherence to treatment. Meaning in life (beta=0.367 and
P≤0.001) was the most influential predictor of adherence to treatment. Additionally, there was a
significant difference in the score of adherence to treatment by gender (23.46±4.42 for female
vs. 24.77±3.53 for male, P = 0.030).
Conclusion: The patients’ perceptions of physician empathy, meaning in life, and illness
perception were important factors to predict adherence to treatment in patients with CVDs.
Gender was a significant predictor of the adherence to treatment.