Living with diabetes: An exploratory study of illness representation and medication adherence in Ghana

Background: Compared to other chronic conditions, non-adherence to medication in diabetes patients is very high. This study explores the relationship between illness representation and medication adherence in diabetes patients in Ghana. Method: A total of 196 type 2 diabetes patients purposively and conveniently sampled from a tertiary hospital in Ghana responded to the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) and the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5). The Pearson Moment Product correlation and the hierarchical multiple regression statistical tools were used to analyse the data. Results: Illness consequence and emotional representation were negatively related to medication adherence, while personal control positively accounted for significant variance in medication adherence. However, none of the selected key demographic variables (i.e. age, illness duration, gender, religion and education) independently accounted for any significant variance in medication adherence. Conclusion: Diabetes has a telling consequence on patients’ life; the patient can do something to control diabetes; and the negative emotional representations concerning the disease have a significant influence on the degree of medication adherence by the patients. This observation has implications for the management and treatment plan of diabetes.