Objective: The study determined if time perspective was associated with medication adherence among people with hypertension and diabetes.
Methods: Using the Health Beliefs Model, we used path analysis to test direct and indirect effects of time perspective and health beliefs on adherence among 178 people who participated in a community-based survey near Washington, D.C. We measured three time perspectives (future, present fatalistic, and present hedonistic) with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and medication adherence by self-report.
Results: The total model demonstrated a good fit (RMSEA=0.17, 90% CI [0.10, 0.28], p=0.003; comparative fit index=0.91). Future time perspective and age showed direct effects on increased medication adherence; an increase by a single unit in future time perspective was associated with a 0.32 standard deviation increase in reported adherence. There were no significant indirect effects of time perspective with reported medication adherence through health beliefs.
Conclusion: The findings provide the first evidence that time perspective plays an under-recognized role as a psychological motivator in medication adherence.
Practice implications: Patient counseling for medication adherence may be enhanced if clinicians incorporate consideration of the patient's time perspective.
Keywords: Medication adherence; Patient education; Time perspective.
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