Objective: Higher levels of barriers are related to lower medication adherence and negative medical outcomes in pediatric transplant recipients. Although total number of barriers appears to be stable over time, it is unclear whether the same is true for specific barriers. This study examined the frequency of endorsement and the stability of specific barriers over 18 months.
Method: Participants included 63 parents and 51 adolescents and young adults. Transplant types included 39 kidneys, 16 livers, 10 hearts, and 1 double lung. Participants completed measures of perceived barriers to adherence at Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2).
Results: The majority of parent- and adolescent-reported specific barriers showed a positive relationship from T1 to T2. Few specific barriers showed significant differences in the level of endorsement between time points.
Conclusion: Specific barriers to medication adherence tend to be stable over time. Patients' specific barriers appear unlikely to change without targeted intervention.
Keywords: adherence; adolescents; barriers; pediatric; transplantation.
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