Meaning of Pharmacological Treatment for Families of People With Depression

Abstract

Medication adherence is related to patient satisfaction with family support. This research aimed to understand the meaning of pharmacotherapy to families of people with major depressive disorder. This qualitative study employed Grounded Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. Seventeen families of people with depression from a Brazilian clinic were included. Data was collected from 2013 to 2014, using open interviews, which were analyzed by open, axial, and selective coding. Medication represented “Tranquility and worry” because it re-established tranquility in family routine, but generated concerns. Thus, families were conflicted and ambivalent about medications, and they interfered with the promotion or impairment of adherence.