Bipolar disorder: medication adherence and life contentment.

Using family stress theory, we examined the influence of family and health stress, level of coping, and internal health locus of control upon the life contentment of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BPD) who were either adherent or nonadherent to their medication regimens. A survey-interview design was used with a sample of 100 individuals diagnosed with BPD; 50 participants were adherent to their medication and 50 were considered nonadherent. The results indicated that the adherent group had fewer health problems and more resources for coping with stress, possessed a stronger belief that their own behaviors controlled their health status, and had higher life contentment compared to nonadherent participants. For the participants in this study, internal health locus of control had the greatest total effect on life contentment followed by family coping. Implications included the need to comprehensively assess each individual regarding the multiple factors in one's life that influence an effective treatment regimen.