A scale for detection of negative attitudes towards medication among relatives of schizophrenic patients

The validity of a questionnaire developed to assess negative attitudes towards drug therapy by relatives of schizophrenic patients is examined. The questionnaire items are tested against the statement: "Patients should not take drugs, they can only be helped by good advice". The prejudice of relatives of schizophrenics against drug therapy may have an effect on the patients' compliance to maintenance therapy and, subsequently, on their relapse rate. A number of factors, social and psychological, were examined as possible determinants of the negative attitudes of relatives. These factors include age, sex, profession, education, positive family history, and use of drugs among the relatives; mental state, residence, duration of illness, relapse rate and clinical features in the patients. Poor education of relatives correlated to negative attitudes towards drug therapy.