Relationship between illness perception, treatment, adherence behaviors and asthma control: a mediation analysis

Abstract

Introduction: the negative illness perception and the treatment is linked to the lack of treatment adherence, as well as negative results in asthma control, two of the main problems in patients with asthma. Objective: the aim of the study was to evaluate the mediating role of treatment perception in the relationship between illness perception, treatment adherence, and asthma control. Material and methods: a non-experimental cross-sectional correlational study was carried out in which 267 adults with asthma participated (74.2% women, 26% men, Xage 45.60 ± 14.34 years). They answered the illness perception questionnaire-revised, the belief about medicines questionnaire, the medication adherence reporting scale-asthma, and the asthma control test. A mediation analysis was performed based on the commonsense model and evaluated through absolute, general, and comparative fit indices. Results: the model showed that the illness perception, treatment adherence, and asthma control are mediated by the treatment perception. The model explains 43% of the variance of asthma control, showing an acceptable fit (χ2 = 34.615, p = 0.002, χ2/ gl = 2.47, RMSEA = 0.074 [90% CI = 0.043-0.106], CFI = 0.937 and TLI = 0.874). Conclusion: the model locates psychological predictors of adherence and asthma control, allowing to propose interventions in the clinical context to address the problems of adherence and asthma control.