Factors associated with patients’ knowledge of and attitudes towards treatment with lithium

Background: Treatment with lithium is often compromised by poor adherence, by side-effects and by patients’ having serum levels outside the therapeutic range. These factors may be affected by patients’ knowledge and attitudes towards lithium, and we set out to establish factors associated with knowl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of affective disorders 2003-06, Vol.75 (1), p.29-33
Main Authors: Dharmendra, M.S., Eagles, J.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use
Attitude to Health
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Female
Humans
Lithium
Lithium Carbonate - therapeutic use
Male
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Mood Disorders - drug therapy
Neuropharmacology
Patient Compliance
Patient education
Patient Education as Topic
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Retrospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Background: Treatment with lithium is often compromised by poor adherence, by side-effects and by patients’ having serum levels outside the therapeutic range. These factors may be affected by patients’ knowledge and attitudes towards lithium, and we set out to establish factors associated with knowledge about and attitudes towards lithium among a large representative sample of patients. Method: Patients known to be taking lithium in Grampian during 1995 were surveyed postally during 1998 with the Lithium Knowledge Test (LKT) and the Lithium Attitudes Questionnaire (LAQ). Scores on these measures were analysed against patients’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics by stepwise multiple regression. Results: Of 742 patients, 411 (55%) completed an LKT and 362 (49%) completed an LAQ. Stepwise multiple regression established that positive attitudes towards lithium on the LAQ were associated with higher serum lithium levels ( P=0.005) and with continuing to take lithium ( P
ISSN:0165-0327
DOI:10.1016/S0165-0327(02)00027-7