Illness Perception, Health Literacy, and Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Patients and Their Spouses: An...

Area of Science:

• Health Psychology
• Behavioral Medicine
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Hypertension management requires consistent medication adherence.
• Illness perception influences patient behavior and treatment outcomes.
• The role of spousal support and health literacy in hypertension management is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between illness perception and medication adherence among hypertensive patients and their spouses.
• To examine actor and partner effects within the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM).

Main Methods:

• Convenience sampling of hypertensive patients and their spouses.
• Data collection using validated questionnaires assessing demographics, illness perception, health literacy, and medication adherence.
• Application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Patient and spouse health literacy partially mediated the association between their own illness perception and medication adherence.
• Patient health literacy partially mediated the link between spouse's illness perception and patient adherence.
• Spouse health literacy fully mediated the effect of patient's illness perception on spouse's adherence.

Conclusions:

• A bidirectional relationship exists between illness perception and medication adherence in hypertensive dyads.
• Health literacy significantly mediates these relationships, highlighting its importance.
• Clinical interventions should concurrently address patients and their spouses to enhance health literacy and improve medication adherence.