Stigmatization and Forgetfulness as Predictors of Medication Adherence Among HIV/AIDS Patients in Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

Adhering to medication regimen is important in treatment Therefore, this study investigated stigmatization and forgetfulness as predictors of medication adherence among HIV/AIDS Patients in Makurdi, Nigeria. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to sample 408 HIV/AIDS patients from two tertiary Hospitals in Makurdi. Participants included 135 (33.1%) males and 273 (66.9%) females with ages ranging from 20 to 60 years (Mean=33.79, SD=11.74). Short HIV stigma scale, forgetfulness scale and medication adherence scale were instruments used to collect data from respondents. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression, simple linear regression, and standard multiple regression were used to analyze the data collected on SPSS. The findings indicated that, stigmatization significantly predicted medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients in Makurdi, Nigeria. Similarly, Forgetfulness showed a significant negative prediction on medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients in Makurdi, Nigeria. Further findings showed that there was a significant joint prediction of stigmatization and forgetfulness on medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients in Makurdi, Nigeria. It was concluded that, Stigmatization and Forgetfulness are significant independent and joint predictors of medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients in Makurdi, Nigeria. The study recommends that medication adherence monitoring plans such as home visit, phone calls and use of caregivers to remind patients by health workers and NGOs in the field of HIV/AIDS treatment, provision of patient navigation services, peer pressure support, and mobile health applications to enhance communication and support. Also, improvement of awareness and education to reduce stigma should be encouraged to enhance medication adherence in the study area.