Relationship between Adherence to Treatment and Self-Efficacy in the Elderly with Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most common diseases among the elderly, which is affected by adherence to treatment and self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine relationship of adherence to treatment and self-efficacy among the elderly with arthritis.

This descriptive–correlational study was conducted in 2019. Based on the convenience sampling method, 200 eligible elderly patients were recruited from three clinics affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using the Modanloo adherence to treatment questionnaire and the perceived self-efficacy scale. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics (mean, frequency percentage, and standard deviation) and analyzed using inferential statistics (the Pearson correlation coefficient) in SPSS software (version 16).  The statistical significance level was set at 0.05.

The mean age of patients was 67.97±5.32 years. The mean scores of self-efficacy and adherence to treatment among the elderly with arthritis were 119.8±35.3 and 123.88±23.04, respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between adherence to treatment and self-efficacy (r=0.648). The strongest positive correlation (r=0.693) was observed in the subscale of adherence to the treatment, and the weakest positive correlation (r=0.228) was observed in the subscale of indecisiveness for applying treatment with pain.

Because of the direct relationship between treatment adherence and self-efficacy in the elderly with arthritis, healthcare policymakers and planners should develop and implement programs to increase self-efficacy and treatment adherence among the elderly with arthritis and other chronic diseases.