Effects of an Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program on Medication Adherence of Schizophrenic Patients

NCT07165821 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: NursingSUT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This quasi-experimental two-group pretest-posttest study examined the effects of an interpersonal communication skills training program on medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia, measured at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Research Hypotheses

1. 1.The experimental group receiving the interpersonal communication skills training program will show higher mean treatment adherence scores post-intervention and at one-month follow-up compared to baseline.
2. 2.The experimental group will show higher mean treatment adherence scores post-intervention and at one-month follow-up than the control group receiving routine nursing care.

Conditions

Schizophrenia; Psychosis; Remission; Non-Adherence, Medication

Keywords

Medication Adherence; Schizophrenia; Interpersonal Communication Skills Training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Medication Adherence Behavior

  Treatment adherence refers to the extent to which patients with schizophrenia follow their prescribed medication regimen, assessed using the 16-item Treatment Adherence Behavior Assessment Scale (Uthaipan \& Daengdomyut, 2013) It has been validated for content with a content validity index (CVI) of 0.88 and demonstrates good reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85. It consists of 16 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (Always, Often, Occasionally, Never), divided into two parts: 1) Items 1-8: behaviors related to medication adherence. 2) Items 9-16: abilities to recognize and manage side effects. Seven items are negatively worded (Items 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 15), and nine items are positively worded (Items 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16). The scoring is interpreted as follows: 1) ≤ 21 points: Low adherence 2) 21-42 points: Moderate adherence 3) ≥ 43 points: High adherence

  Before the intervention, Immediately after the intervention , 1 month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Experiment group

EXPERIMENTAL

The group of patients who received Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program

Behavioral: Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program

Control group

OTHER

The group of patients who received routine psychiatric nursing care

Behavioral: Usual care

Interventions

Interpersonal Communication Skills Training Program BEHAVIORAL

This program was developed based on DeVito's communication theory and integrated with the positive reinforcement-based interpersonal communication training developed by Thiengwiriyakul et al.(11) This program was evaluated by a panel of three experts-a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse, and a psychiatric nursing academic-who assessed content relevance, appropriateness, and language clarity. After revisions based on their feedback, the program achieved a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.93, exceeding the acceptable threshold.

Experiment group

Usual care BEHAVIORAL

Received routine psychiatric nursing care

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 59 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male patients aged 20-59 with an ICD-10 schizophrenia diagnosis(F20.0-F20.9).
• History of psychiatric readmission due to medication non-adherence
• Mild psychiatric symptoms(Thai BPRS score ≤ 36).
• Poor interpersonal communication skills(score ≤ 1.50 on Thiengviriya et al.'s assessment tool
• Low to moderate medication adherence(score ≤ 42 on Uthaiphan \& Daengdomyut's scale
• Able to read, write, speak, and without hearing/visual impairments.
• Had a primary caregiver post-discharge.
• Provided informed consent voluntarily.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with other psychiatric comorbidities(e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or substance-induced psychosis)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Suranaree University of Technology: lead

Study Sites (1)

Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, ,Thailand

Nai Muang, Changwat Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, Thailand

Location

Related Publications (10)

• He H, Liu Q, Li N, Guo L, Gao F, Bai L, Gao F, Lyu J. Trends in the incidence and DALYs of schizophrenia at the global, regional and national levels: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020 Jan 13;29:e91. doi: 10.1017/S2045796019000891.

  PMID: 31928566 RESULT

• Charlson FJ, Ferrari AJ, Santomauro DF, Diminic S, Stockings E, Scott JG, McGrath JJ, Whiteford HA. Global Epidemiology and Burden of Schizophrenia: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Schizophr Bull. 2018 Oct 17;44(6):1195-1203. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sby058.

  PMID: 29762765 RESULT

• Semahegn A, Torpey K, Manu A, Assefa N, Tesfaye G, Ankomah A. Psychotropic medication non-adherence and its associated factors among patients with major psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2020 Jan 16;9(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-1274-3.

  PMID: 31948489 RESULT

• While A. Medication adherence: understanding the issues and finding solutions. Br J Community Nurs. 2020 Oct 2;25(10):474-479. doi: 10.12968/bjcn.2020.25.10.474.

  PMID: 33030359 RESULT

• Tan XH, Foo MA, Lim SLH, Lim MBXY, Chin AMC, Zhou J, Chiam M, Krishna LKR. Teaching and assessing communication skills in the postgraduate medical setting: a systematic scoping review. BMC Med Educ. 2021 Sep 9;21(1):483. doi: 10.1186/s12909-021-02892-5.

  PMID: 34503497 RESULT

• Riedl L, Nagels A, Sammer G, Straube B. A Multimodal Speech-Gesture Training Intervention for Patients With Schizophrenia and Its Neural Underpinnings - the Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Mar 6;11:110. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00110. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 32210849 RESULT

• Combs DR, Adams SD, Penn DL, Roberts D, Tiegreen J, Stem P. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) for inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: preliminary findings. Schizophr Res. 2007 Mar;91(1-3):112-6. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2006.12.010. Epub 2007 Feb 12.

  PMID: 17293083 RESULT

• Park Y, Han K. Development and evaluation of a Communication Enhancement Program for People with Chronic Schizophrenia: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design study. Appl Nurs Res. 2018 Aug;42:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2018.04.007. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

  PMID: 30029708 RESULT

• Maassen E, Buttner M, Brocker AL, Stuke F, Bayer S, Hadzibegovic J, Just SA, Bertram G, Rau R, von Haebler D, Lempa G, Montag C. Measuring Emotional Awareness in Patients With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorders. Front Psychol. 2021 Nov 11;12:725787. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725787. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34858263 RESULT

• Uzun G, Lok N. Effect of emotional awareness skills training on emotional awareness and communication skills in patients with schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2022 Jun;38:14-20. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2022.01.005. Epub 2022 Jan 22.

  PMID: 35461642 RESULT

Related Links

• fact- sheets of schizophrenia from WHO

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Schizophrenia; Psychotic Disorders; Medication Adherence

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Mental Disorders; Patient Compliance; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Arunee Roongrusamee, Dip.N.S.

  Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, Thailand

  STUDY CHAIR

• Palida Phalasak, M.N.S

  Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, Thailand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Aungkhana Chaiyarak, Dip.N.S.

  Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, Thailand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Sakda Khumkom, Ph.D.

  Institute of Nursing, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Thanakamon Leesri, Ph.D.

  Institute of Nursing, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned using a simple lottery method into an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20).
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Sakda Khumkom, Ph.D. , Asst.Prof., School of Psychiatric Nursing, Institue of Nursing, Suranaree University of Technology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 24, 2025
• First Posted: September 10, 2025
• Study Start: June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2024
• Study Completion: September 30, 2024
• Last Updated: September 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: 10 years thereafter.
• Access Criteria: Access instructions will be provided at that time

Locations

TH (1)