| When people with serious mental illness fail to take prescribed psychiatric medications, they may be at risk for hospitalization or other negative outcomes. One theoretical model for explaining medication adherence behavior is self-determination theory (SDT). According to SDT, autonomously motivated behaviors are more likely to persist than are behaviors motivated by external forces. For people with serious mental illness, psychiatrists, mental health providers, family and peers are all potential external influencers on medication-related decisions. However, interactions with mental health professionals around medication adherence may be perceived as coercive by people with mental illness and professionals may fail to adequately address valid concerns of mental health consumers. This study aimed to examine how perceived autonomy support (the degree to which people with mental illness view others as encouraging towards self-directed medication decisions) is related to medication adherence. Sixty-six individuals with serious mental illness completed measures of self-reported medication adherence, motivation to take medication and the perceived autonomy support of psychiatrists, mental health providers, peers and family members. Perceived autonomy support failed to predict one month adherence for any of potential social influencers. However, global autonomy support and autonomy support of psychiatrists were related to both autonomous motivation and depressive symptoms, such that participants who felt more supported in making autonomous decisions cited more internally motivated reasons for taking medications and were less depressed. |
