| Medication nonadherence, or noncompliance, is a pervasive problem with inpatient and outpatient psychiatric populations. Noncompliance is a persistent detriment to effective treatment of patients with psychiatric and health disorders. It is especially a challenge for clinicians in civil and state correctional settings where psychiatric indications are the most common form of treatment. The need for further research with focus on patient characteristics including diagnoses and in particular, gender differences, has been noted in prior literature and served as an impetus for the current study. In this research, a post hoc method was undertaken to examine archived medication compliance data for a 30-day period for 105 male and 163 female psychiatric outpatients from two maximum-security New York State Department of Corrections facilities. A significant gender effect was observed with male patients demonstrating a higher level of medication compliance then their female counterparts. No significant differences in medication compliance within or between designated DSM-IV categories were observed. The findings of the present study were discussed in terms of the implications for clinical or program practice with a focus on the importance of accurate diagnosis. Recommendations for further research were made, including consideration of survey research. Future investigators should pay closer attention to the psychiatric medication concerns of female detainees with mental disorders. |
