Self-regulation predictors of medication adherence among ethnically different pediatric patients with renal transplants

Objective: To predict medication adherence among ethnically different pedia tric patients with renal transplants between the ages of 6 and 20 years old , using self-regulation variables including motivation, perceived control a nd responsibility, and perceived support. Methods: Twenty-six African American children and 42 Caucasian children wer e verbally administered the Self-Regulation of Medication Adherence Battery to assess their (1) motivation to be medication adherent, (2) perceived co ntrol of and responsibility for medication adherence, and (3) perceived sup port of medication adherence from their primary caregiver. Four measures we re used to assess medication adherence: self-ratings, nephrologists' rating s, cyclosporine levels, and pill count/refill histories. Results: For the African American patients, regression analyses revealed th at responses to motivation and perceived control questions that focused on self-efficacy were unique predictors of medication adherence as rated by th eir primary nephrologist. For the Caucasian patients, one motivation questi on regarding how often they forget to take their medication predicted their self-reported adherence. Conclusions: Facilitating their beliefs that they can regularly take their medications may help promote medication adherence among African American ch ildren with renal transplants, whereas for Caucasian children, providing cu es and reminders to take their medications may help. We discuss implication s of the results for multimodal assessment of medication adherence and for ethnic group-specific medication adherence research and interventions.