Effects of an Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program on Medication Adherence of Schizophrenic Patients

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: This quasi-experimental two-group pretest-posttest study examined the effects of an interpersonal communication skills training program on medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia, measured at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up.

Research Hypotheses

1. The experimental group receiving the interpersonal communication skills training program will show higher mean treatment adherence scores post-intervention and at one-month follow-up compared to baseline.

2. The experimental group will show higher mean treatment adherence scores post-intervention and at one-month follow-up than the control group receiving routine nursing care.

Detailed Description: Intervention : Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program This program was developed based on DeVito's communication theory and integrated with the positive reinforcement-based interpersonal communication training developed by Thiengwiriyakul et al.(11) The program comprises six sessions: 1) Positive Communication 2) Equal Communication 3) Empathic Communication 4) Supportive Communication 5) Open Communication and 6) Relationship-Building Communication. The intervention was conducted three times per week, 60 minutes per session, over a two-week period.

Usual Care :

Usual care is defined as the provision of standard psychiatric nursing interventions consistent with usual clinical practice.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Male patients aged 20-59 with an ICD-10 schizophrenia diagnosis(F20.0-F20.9).
History of psychiatric readmission due to medication non-adherence
Mild psychiatric symptoms(Thai BPRS score ≤ 36).
Poor interpersonal communication skills(score ≤ 1.50 on Thiengviriya et al.'s assessment tool
Low to moderate medication adherence(score ≤ 42 on Uthaiphan & Daengdomyut's scale
Able to read, write, speak, and without hearing/visual impairments.
Had a primary caregiver post-discharge.
Provided informed consent voluntarily.

Exclusion Criteria

Patients with other psychiatric comorbidities(e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or substance-induced psychosis)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Medication Adherence Behavior	Before the intervention, Immediately after the intervention , 1 month follow-up	Treatment adherence refers to the extent to which patients with schizophrenia follow their prescribed medication regimen, assessed using the 16-item Treatment Adherence Behavior Assessment Scale (Uthaipan \& Daengdomyut, 2013) It has been validated for content with a content validity index (CVI) of 0.88 and demonstrates good reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85. It consists of 16 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (Always, Often, Occasionally, Never), divided into two parts: 1) Items 1-8: behaviors related to medication adherence. 2) Items 9-16: abilities to recognize and manage side effects. Seven items are negatively worded (Items 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 15), and nine items are positively worded (Items 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16). The scoring is interpreted as follows: 1) ≤ 21 points: Low adherence 2) 21-42 points: Moderate adherence 3) ≥ 43 points: High adherence

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method

Locations (1): Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, ,Thailand
🇹🇭
Nai Muang, Changwat Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, ,Thailand
🇹🇭Nai Muang, Changwat Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand