Health Locus of Control Among Non-compliance Hypertensive Patients Undergoing Pharmacotherapy

Azlin B., and Hatta S., and Norzila Z., and Sharifa Ezat W.P., (2007) Health Locus of Control Among Non-compliance Hypertensive Patients Undergoing Pharmacotherapy. Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 16 (1). ISSN 0128-8628

Abstract

This study aims to determine the association between the locus of control and social factors with compliance to anti-hypertensive pharmachotherapy. Research Design: This is a cross sectional study, conducted from 1 st of June until 31st of December 2004. Two centres were involved in this study: Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Primary Polyclinic in Bandar Tasik Selatan, Cheras and Salak Polyclinic in Sepang, Selangor. Methods: A total of 200 patients from both study centers, who fulfilled all the inclusion criteria, were selected as respondents. This study used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) for the psychiatric diagnoses and Multidemensional Health Locus of Control (Form C) was used to assess locus of control. Results: The prevalence of non-compliance was 38.5%. The results of this study reveal a statistically significant difference between drug compliance with site where the study was conducted, age, race, gender, internal locus of control, external locus of control (chance, doctors’). No evidence for an association between patients’ education level, occupation, income, marital status, family history of hypertension, number of medication prescribed and external locus of control (powerful others) with drug compliance. This study suggested that drug compliance among hypertensive patients was influenced by the presence of psychosocial factors. Hence, it is important for the medical practitioners to understand all these factors while treating their patients. It should be possible to make treatment more individual.

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Abstract