Original article

Video-based psychoeducation and a mobile application for medication adherence and relapse warning signs in schizophrenia

---

Abstract

Aim: To examine changes in antipsychotic medication adherence and relapse warning signs after an intervention combining video-based psychoeducation with a mobile reminder application in patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest study included 55 adults with schizophrenia and baseline medication non-adherence recruited by convenience sampling from an outpatient mental health clinic in Amman, Jordan. Participants viewed a psychoeducational video and used the MyTherapy medication reminder application. Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), and early warning signs using the patient-rated 10-item Early Warning Signs Questionnaire (EWSQ-10P), at baseline, two weeks, and three months. Changes were evaluated using repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) with Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Results are reported as mean ± standard deviation.

Results: RM-ANOVA showed that mean MARS score increased from 3.49 ± 1.44 at baseline to 8.67 ± 1.14 at two weeks and 8.91 ± 0.67 at three months (F = 385.48; p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.877). Mean EWSQ-10P score decreased from 29.96 ± 3.64 to 14.92 ± 2.58 and 11.85 ± 2.04, respectively (F = 707.62; p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.929).

Conclusion: The combined intervention was associated with higher MARS and lower EWSQ-10P scores over three months. Because the study lacked a control group and used convenience sampling, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary and do not establish causality.

Keywords: medication adherence, mobile applications, patient education as topic, schizophrenia