Verbal Mental Capacity and Medication Adherence in Psychiatric Outpatients: The Impact of Verbal Cognitive Reserve and Side Effects

Objective: Medication adherence is a critical determinant of treatment outcomes in psychiatric disorders,yet the underlying factors remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the role of verbal mental capacityand clinical variables in predicting medication adherence among psychiatric outpatients.Methods: A total of 67 patients (aged 18-60 years) were assessed using the Medication Adherence RatingScale (MARS), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Liverpool University Neuroleptic SideEffect Rating Scale (LUNSERS), and the Turkish version of the National Adult Reading Test (NART-TR).Participants were categorized into good adherence (n=33) and poor adherence (n=34) groups based onMARS scores. Comparative analyses between these groups, as well as correlation and multiple regressionanalyses, were conducted.Results: Patients with poor adherence had significantly higher anxiety, depression, side effect scores,and NART-TR errors than patients with good adherence (P < .05). Correlation analysis revealed negativeassociations between MARS scores and anxiety, depression, side effects, and NART-TR errors. Regressionanalysis identified NART-TR errors (β=−.342, P=.009) and LUNSERS scores (β=−.512, P=.022) asindependent predictors of medication adherence.Conclusion: Verbal mental capacity and medication side effects emerged as critical determinants ofadherence in psychiatric patients. Incorporating cognitive screening tools like NART-TR into routinepractice may help identify individuals at risk of nonadherence and guide tailored interventions.Cite this article as: Bakay H, Karaagac M, Yaman NÖ, Gica S. Verbal mental capacity and medication adherence inpsychiatric outpatients: the impact of verbal cognitive reserve and side effects. Neuropsychiatr Invest. 2025, 63, 0045,doi:10.5152/NeuropsychiatricInvest.2025.25045.