Objective: We present a secondary analysis of data reporting differences in medication adherence, psychiatric symptom severity, and internalized stigma levels in older (age ≥ 55 years) versus younger (age < 55 years) adults with bipolar disorder (BD) and poor medication adherence.
Methods: Data used for this analysis came from 184 participants in a National Institute of Mental Health-funded randomized controlled trial, comparing a customized adherence enhancement (CAE) intervention intended to promote BD medication adherence with a BD-specific educational program (EDU). At screen, study participants were ≥20% nonadherent with BD medications as measured by the Tablets Routine Questionnaire (TRQ). Psychiatric symptoms, functional status, and internalized stigma were measured using validated scales.
Results: Older adults had significantly lower anxiety disorder comorbidity (P < .01 for 1 or more anxiety disorders), depressive symptom severity scores (P = .011), and self-stigma scores (P = .001) compared to their younger counterparts. In the analyses evaluating change over time in TRQ between older and younger participants by treatment arm (ie, CAE and EDU), there was a significant finding of interaction between time, age-group, and treatment arm (P = .007).
Conclusions: Older adults may be less anxious and depressed, with less self-stigma, compared to younger people with BD and poor adherence. With respect to medication adherence, older individuals in EDU appear to do less well than younger individuals over time.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00183495.
Keywords: age groups; bipolar disorder; medication adherence; stigma.