The Association of Job Strain With Medication Adherence: Is Your Job Affecting Your Compliance With a Prescribed Medication Regimen?

OBJECTIVE: This innovative study examines for the first time the relationship between occupational factors (eg, job strain) and medication adherence. METHODS: An analysis of secondary data collected from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) implemented in 34 drugstores of a national pharmacy chain in Tennessee. Medication adherence, health care utilization, psychosocial assessment, chronic disease status, and occupational health history data were obtained from study participants. RESULTS: The study found that most job strains are less adherent to their medication regimen as measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) than those in a low strain job category. However, statistically significant differences are observed only for renin angiotensin system antagonists (RASA), statins, and when PDC is combined across all medication classes. CONCLUSIONS: Examining occupational factors may prove beneficial in developing interventions that improve medication adherence.