Did I Take My Medication Today? Understanding Medication Self-Management for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Through Participatory Research

Spassiani, Natasha; Higgins, Anna; Tait, Stephan; Hume, Aaron; Abdulla, Sam; Paterson, Ruth

Abstract

Background: There is little research that has examined what support strategies are effective to help adults with intellectual disabilities take their prescribed medication correctly. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the barriers and supports that contribute to adults with intellectual disabilities self‐managing their prescribed medicines. Methods: Nine adults with intellectual disabilities and two support staff participated in this two‐phase study. Phase 1 consisted of focus groups and Phase 2 involved participants taking part in simulated real‐world scenarios based on situations discussed during Phase 1 about taking prescription medication. Results: Three main themes emerged from the findings: knowledge about prescription medication, barriers to taking prescription medication, and facilitators to taking prescription medication. Conclusions: The findings of the study will help to inform healthcare professionals on how to better support adults with intellectual disabilities to take their prescription medication to ensure better health outcomes.

Citation

Spassiani, N., Higgins, A., Tait, S., Hume, A., Abdulla, S., & Paterson, R. (2025). Did I Take My Medication Today? Understanding Medication Self-Management for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Through Participatory Research. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 38(3), Article e70059. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70059

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 16, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 30, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025-05
• Deposit Date: Apr 30, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 30, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
• Print ISSN: 1360-2322
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-3148
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 3
• Article Number: e70059
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70059
• Keywords: inclusive research, intellectual disabilities, medication management, participatory research, prescription medication, self-management
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4243724