title: Treatment-related decisional conflict in patients with depressive and anxious disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the level of treatment-related decisional conflict in patients with emotional disorders and to establish its relationship with sociodemographic and clinical variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional survey on a convenience sample of 321 consecutive psychiatric outpatients with emotional disorders. All patients completed self-report questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and clinical variables, patients' preference of participation in decision making, perceived decisional conflict about treatment, adherence to prescribed treatment, and satisfaction with the psychiatric care provided. Multiple correspondences analysis was used to investigate relationships of decisional conflict with the variables of interest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately, two-thirds of psychiatric outpatients self-reported decisional conflict regarding their treatment. Interestingly, the presence of decisional conflict did not influence significantly patients' preferences of participation or their adherence to prescribed treatment. Patients without decisional conflict registered significantly higher satisfaction. Multiple correspondences analysis evidenced two clear profiles: patients without decisional conflict received the treatment they preferred, mainly psychotherapy or combined treatment, had been under psychiatric treatment for longer than 5 years, and self-reported high satisfaction with health care received; on the other hand, patients with decisional conflict did not receive the treatment they preferred, were treated with pharmacotherapy alone for a period of time between 1 and 5 years, and self-reported medium satisfaction with received health care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high level of decisional conflict found in patients with depression and anxiety attending a secondary care service could be an important driving force when personalizing and tailoring information and teaching skills to patients about their illnesses and their treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Las Cuevas
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramsés
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marrero
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Casimiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabrera
keywords: decisional conflict; patient satisfaction; psychiatric patient involvement; treatment adherence