title: Persistence in treatment for one year among patients in Nigeria with first-episode schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the magnitude of poor persistence in treatment among patients with schizophrenia and to identify associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  All eligible patients (N=216) seen at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, over a five-year period were retrospectively followed up until the time of their last visit. Time to first default was examined by Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. A log-rank test was used to compare survival times for different variables. The contribution of the variables that affected time to default was examined by Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 24% of the sample remained in treatment at the one-year follow-up. Persistence as measured by mean±SE time to all-cause treatment default was 17.80±1.44 weeks. Of several variables examined, including whether patients were taking first- or second-generation antipsychotics, none were found to predict persistence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persistence in treatment of patients with a first episode of schizophrenia was low.
authors.forename: Oluyomi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Esan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents