The reliability of reports of medical adherence from children with HIV and their adult caregivers

Objective To compare children's reports of their medication adherence to those of their adult caregivers. Method Several indicators of medication adherence were assessed for 48 adult-child dyads. Kappa statistics were calculated as measures of agreement. Results Adherence problems were common, although the level of agreement between the child and the adult was quite low (kappas for adherence variables ranged from .05 to .32). Compared to adult-child dyads that agreed, dyads that disagreed tended to include older children who had more responsibility for managing their own medications. Conclusions Both researchers and clinicians would benefit from acquiring information on children's adherence from multiple sources.