69.3% of young adults with first-episode MDD were adherent by MEMS; severe side effects and hospital readmission increased low adherence risk, with a prognostic index >0.800 predicting it.
A prognostic index was established to evaluate clinical risk and identify factors associated with low medication adherence among young adults with first-episode MDD.
To investigate factors associated with medication adherence among young patients experiencing their first episode of major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 512 patients were prospectively enrolled and tracked by adherence for 30 days using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Socio-demographic factors, clinical variables, and patient-reported rating scores were analyzed using a binary logistic regression model. About 69.3% of cases achieved MEMS adherence. Patients with ≥1 hospital readmission for exacerbation, drug concentration beyond the recommended therapeutic range, and severe side effects had an increased risk of low adherence. Older age, higher self-stigma scores, and negative drug attitude were the positive predictors. A prognostic index > 0.800 was at high-risk of developing low adherence. A formula was established for evaluating clinical risk to improve medication adherence among young MDDs.
Xu et al. (2026) studied this question. 69.3% of young adults with first-episode MDD were adherent by MEMS; severe side effects and hospital readmission increased low adherence risk, with a prognostic index >0.800 predicting it.