Family support predicts psychiatric medication usage among Mexican American individuals with schizophrenia

• Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Vol. 41; no. 8; pp. 624 - 631
• Main Authors: RAMIREZ GARCIA, Jorge I, CHANG, Christina L, YOUNG, Joshua S, LOPEZ, Steven R, JENKINS, Janis H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.08.2006; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Caregivers; Drug Therapy - statistics & numerical data; Emotions; Family; Family environment. Family history; Female; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Intervention; Male; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Mexican Americans - statistics & numerical data; Neuropharmacology; Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prospective Studies; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Social Support; United States; North America; America; Social environment; Human; medication usage or medication compliance; Expressed emotion; Mexican Americans; Neuroleptic; Psychotropic; Mental health; Schizophrenia; Latinamerican; Psychosis; Drug compliance; Chemotherapy; Treatment; family support; Social interaction; Follow up study; Family environment; Familial relation; Predictive factor; Public health; Social support
• ISSN: 0933-7954; 1433-9285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00127-006-0069-8

Support provided by family caregivers to persons with schizophrenia is a viable intervention focus to improve psychiatric medication usage. However, little is known about the relation between medication usage and family support as well as other key caregiving factors. Family support and Expressed Emotion (EE) dimensions were tested as predictors of medication usage during a 9-month period following psychiatric hospital discharge in a sample of 30 individuals of Mexican descent with schizophrenia. Family instrumental support predicted higher medication usage (Odds Ratio = 4.8) in multivariate analyses that statistically adjusted for the impact of emotional support, family EE, and psychiatric status (e.g., positive symptoms) on medication usage. Findings suggest that efforts to improve medication usage among Mexican American individuals with schizophrenia should take into account social supportive factors such as instrumental or directive, hands-on assistance from family caregivers.