Time perspective and medication adherence among individuals with hypertension or diabetes mellitus

The study determined if time perspective was associated with medication adherence among people with hypertension and diabetes.

Using the Health Beliefs Model, we used path analysis to test direct and indirect effects of time perspective and health beliefs on adherence among 178 people who participated in a community-based survey near Washington, D.C. We measured three time perspectives (future, present fatalistic, and present hedonistic) with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and medication adherence by self-report.

The total model demonstrated a good fit (RMSEA=0.17, 90% CI [0.10, 0.28], p=0.003; comparative fit index=0.91). Future time perspective and age showed direct effects on increased medication adherence; an increase by a single unit in future time perspective was associated with a 0.32 standard deviation increase in reported adherence. There were no significant indirect effects of time perspective with reported medication adherence through health beliefs.

The findings provide the first evidence that time perspective plays an under-recognized role as a psychological motivator in medication adherence.

Patient counseling for medication adherence may be enhanced if clinicians incorporate consideration of the patient's time perspective.