Denial and Acceptance Coping Styles and Medication Adherence in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Antipsychotics are often the first line of treatment for individuals with schizophrenia (Fialko et al., 2008). One challenge to effective treatment is lack of adherence to prescribed medication. Lower rates of adherence are associated with considerably higher rates of relapse and poorer course of illness. Therefore studying the characteristics that may be related to medication adherence is important. Coping styles may be one such factor. Individuals use a variety of coping mechanisms to manage and navigate difficult life events, including mental illness (Cooke et al., 2007). In the present study, 40 individuals with schizophrenia were assessed regarding their coping styles and medication adherence practices. As hypothesized, it was found that denial coping was inversely related to medication adherence. However, contrary to expectations, acceptance coping was not related to medication adherence. These findings suggest that targeting denial coping strategies in treatment may help foster more optimal strategies for managing schizophrenia.