The Relationship Between Quality of Life, Attitude Towards the Disease, and Adherence to Treatment in Patients with Various Forms of Chronic Tonsillitis

Relevance. One of the problematic issues of modern otorhinolaryngology is chronic tonsillitis. According to various authors, patients with this pathology tend to have low treatment adherence. However, this issue has not been thoroughly studied. Within the framework of the concept of patient-centeredness, patient-centric healthcare, it seems appropriate to involve a medical psychologist in working with these patients to increase adherence to treatment. Currently, no studies have jointly examined the quality of life, attitudes toward the disease, and treatment adherence in patients with different forms of chronic tonsillitis.

Intention: to investigate the relationship between quality of life, attitudes toward the disease, and treatment adherence among patients with different forms of chronic tonsillitis.

Methodology. The study involved two groups of patients with chronic tonsillitis: a compensated form (73 people) and a decompensated form (96 people). Three questionnaires were used as experimental psychological research methods: the WHO short questionnaire for quality-of-life research, TOBOL (questionnaire for determining the type of attitude towards illness), KOP-25 (Russian universal questionnaire for quantitative assessment of adherence to treatment). The accumulation and formation of the database was carried out in Microsoft Excel 2020. Statistical data processing was carried out in AtteStat (version 13.2) – an add- on program for Microsoft Excel.

Results and Discussion. Patients with the clinically more severe decompensated form of tonsillitis showed higher levels of physical and psychological well-being, social well-being, and overall quality of life compared to patients with the clinically milder compensated form. There were no differences in self-perception and microsocial support. Patients with compensated chronic tonsillitis predominantly exhibited denial of illness, while those with decompensated tonsillitis tended to cope by immersing themselves in work. Adherence to pharmacotherapy, medical follow-up, and overall treatment adherence were higher among patients with compensated chronic tonsillitis than those with the decompensated form. In patients with compensated chronic tonsillitis, the formation of an anosognosic attitude toward illness was associated with higher levels of microsocial support and social well-being. In patients with decompensated chronic tonsillitis, the formation of a harmonious attitude toward illness was linked to higher indicators across all domains of quality of life.

Conclusion. The results of the conducted study provide a basis for developing medical psychologist intervention programs for patients with chronic tonsillitis, with the interaction tailored differently depending on the form of the disease. However, each type of interaction presents its own limitations.

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