Factors Related to Medication Self-Management in African American Older Women

Individuals with multiple chronic diseases are often prescribed medications for each condition and thus must manage a drug regimen. Medication self-management is challenging for most individuals with chronic diseases, but it can be especially difficult for African American older women. This study investigated how medical mistrust, caregiver role strain, and other relevant variables may be associated with medication self-management behaviors (MSMB) among African American older women, and whether goal congruence and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between the predictor variables and MSMB. A sample of 116 African American older (age >50 years) women from central Milwaukee participated in this correlational, cross-sectional study. Although goal congruence and self-efficacy were not found to act as mediators, the main finding was that goal congruence, self-efficacy, and age predicted 30% of the variance in MSMB. The results suggest that it is essential to strengthen individual self-efficacy, determine the goals that individuals have for their medication regimen, and develop support mechanisms to help patients attain these goals to better manage chronic disease. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2019; 12(2):71-79.].