Background/Aims:Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder in which treatment adherence plays a critical role in disease management. This study aimed to examine the effects of antipsychotic drug side effects and sexual dysfunction on treatment adherence among married outpatients with schizophrenia.Methods:This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 70 patients receiving outpatient treatment at three different healthcare institutions in Sivas. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side Effect Rating Scale, and the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale. Statistical analyses included Chi-square, correlation, t-test, Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis H, Durbin–Watson, and linear regression tests.Results:All patients experienced at least one side effect, with psychological, extrapyramidal, red herring, and hormonal side effects being the most common. Among participants, 64.3% showed moderate adherence and 27.1% showed low adherence to treatment. Sexual dysfunction was observed in both genders, and a weak but statistically significant negative correlation was found between sexual dysfunction and treatment adherence, particularly in female patients (r = −0.341, p 0.05). Additionally, treatment adherence decreased as the severity of side effects increased (p 0.05).Conclusions:Antipsychotic drug side effects and sexual dysfunction negatively affect treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia. Identifying and managing these factors may contribute to improving treatment adherence and clinical outcomes.
Kurtaran et al. (Thu,) studied this question.