Perceived Barriers to Medication Adherence in Adolescents and Young Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Adapting the Customized Adherence Enhancement Intervention.
Emma Church, Salayna Abdallah, Kelly Kamimura-Nishimura and 3 others
PMID 40397954WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents and young adults with ADHD reported medication barriers like stigma, side effects, and poor access, while facilitators included external prompts and strong support.
A tailored intervention was adapted based on these themes, with participants requesting shorter sessions, more visuals, and interactive elements.
Key findings
01Primary barriers to medication adherence included level of impairment, co-existing conditions, social/environmental factors, limited access, and adverse physiological effects like headaches and decreased appetite.
02Facilitators to adherence included good organizational skills, external prompts, knowledge about ADHD, experiencing benefits from medication, and support from providers, parents, and community.
03Participants suggested modifying the intervention to include breaks, more colorful imagery, and interactive worksheets to maintain attention and relevance for the 16-24 age group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (19 in Phase 1, 6 in Phase 2) and recruited from one academic medical center, limiting generalizability. Participants were predominantly White/Caucasian. Poor medication adherence was not an inclusion criterion, so the sample may not represent those with the highest need for intervention. The study describes the development and adaptation of an intervention, not its effectiveness.
Declared interests
Several authors reported conflicts of interest, including research support from NIH, AHA, NIDA, Merck, The Hartwell Foundation, American Psychiatric Publishing (royalties), and NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this study as evidence that the adapted intervention improves medication adherence. The study only describes the development and acceptability of the intervention materials; it did not test whether using them actually changes patient outcomes.