The effect of motivational interviews on treatment adherence and insight levels of patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the effect of motivational interview (MI) on treatment adherence and insight of the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia at a hospital in Turkey.

Design and methods: Individuals with schizophrenia, who match with the sample characteristics, were assigned to intervention (20) and control groups (20) according to the randomization schedule. Personal Information Form, Self-Reported Measure of Medication Adherence, and Schedule for Assessing the Three Components of Insight were used.

Findings: Group-wise examinations showed that mean scores of "three component scales of insight" yielded statistically significant difference for the intervention group. Analysis of the Treatment Adherence Scale Mean Scores showed a significant difference for interval mean scores of the intervention group.

Practice implications: Both the pyschiatric patients and the health institutions can benefit from increased levels of treatment adherence and insight by the adoption of the MI methods starting with a patient's first registration to a psychiatric outpatient clinic.

Implications for nursing practice: MI can be included during any of the patient visits to establish treatment collaboration with psychiatric patients at psychiatric facilities, outpatient clinics, and community mental health centers.

Keywords: insight; motivational initerview; patients with schizophrenia; psychiatric nursing; treatment adherence.