The Relationship Between Psychosocial Status and Adherence to Treatment Regimen in Adolescents With Thalassemia

Abstract

Introduction: Adherence to the treatment regimen is among the key principles in chronic diseases, like thalassemia. The difficult treatment of these patients and the significant biopsychosocial changes that occur during adolescence may lead to numerous psychosocial changes. Such issuesmay affect their adherence to the treatment regimen. Objective: The current study aimedto determine the relationship between psychosocial status and adherence to the treatment regimen in adolescents with thalassemia referring to hospitals in Rasht City, Iran. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted on 66 adolescents with thalassemia. The study samples included patients aged 11-21 years, referring to two hospitals in Rasht City, Iran, in 2017. They were selected using the census methods. Data collection tools included a demographic form and Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth Report (PSC-Y). The compliance rate was measured by evaluating their adherence to follow-up visits, average results of the last three ferritin tests, and iron chelator use. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and regression analysis. Results: Fifty percent of patients reported psychosocial problems and most of them had good adherence to follow-up visits (74.2%); however, their adherence to ferritin tests (47%) and iron chelator use (45.5%) was poor. Regression analysis results suggested that the effect of psychosocial status on adherence to follow-up visits (P<0.05, OR=0.8, 95% CI; 0.628-1), ferritin test (P<0.05, OR=0.213, 95% CI; 0.044-1), and iron chelator use (P<0.001, OR=0.852, 95% CI; 0.772-0.94) was significant. Conclusion: Adolescents with thalassemia fail to adhere to treatment regimen fully; therefore, appropriate interventions are required to improve their psychosocial status.