Factors Related to Beliefs about Medication in Ischemic Stroke Patients

Background: Medication beliefs are known as predictors of medication adherence. However, understanding of the relevance of these beliefs is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to identify medication beliefs, and their influencing factors, in stroke survivors. Methods: This was a secondary analysis, using baseline data from a longitudinal study conducted to predict long-term medication adherence in Korean stroke survivors, and included 471 patients. Medication beliefs were investigated using the Belief about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ), and the belief score and attitudes were derived from the “necessity” and “concern” scores, which are subscales of the BMQ. Multiple linear regression was used to determine independent factors influencing medication beliefs. Results: The mean score of medication beliefs is 7.07 ± 6.32, and the accepting group comprises 288 patients (61.1%). Medication beliefs are significantly higher in older adults (p < 0.001), females (p = 0.001), and patients with non-type D personality (p = 0.023), low-state anxiety (p < 0.001), high stroke severity (p = 0.001), a high number of medications (p < 0.001), and high knowledge about medications (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study shows that type D personality, state anxiety, and knowledge about medication are major mediating factors for improving medication beliefs. These results may help healthcare professionals develop strategies to enhance medication adherence, by improving patients’ medication beliefs.