Table 2 Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ)-Specific dimensions (n = 712).

From: Clinical and psychological characteristics associated with negative beliefs and concerns about treatment necessity in rheumatic diseases

BMQ-Specific dimensions

N (%) agreeing or strongly agreeing

Necessity, mean (sd)

Median (IQR)

My health, at present, depends on my medicines

My life would be impossible without my medicines

Without my medicines I would become very ill

My health in the future will depend on my medicines

My medicines protect me from becoming worse

20.2 (2.7)

20 (19–22)

561 (78.8%)

561 (78.8%)

606 (85.1%)

553 (77.7%)

640 (89.9%)

Concerns, mean (sd)

Median (IQR)

Having to take medicines worries me

I sometimes worry about the long-term effects of my medicines

My medicines are a mystery to me

My medicines disrupt my life

I sometimes worry about becoming too dependent on my medicines

16.5 (3.3)

17 (14–19)

364 (51.1%)

495 (69.5%)

220 (30.9%)

280 (39.3%)

392 (55.1%)

BMQ-Specific Necessity-Concerns differential

N (%)

Necessity-Concerns, mean (sd)

Median (IQR)

Necessity > Concerns

Necessity = Concerns

Necessity < Concerns

3.7 (4.1)

3 (1–6)

565 (79.4%)

61 (8.6%)

86 (12.1%)

BMQ-Specific attitudinal groups*

N (%)

Skeptical (low Necessity, high Concerns)

Indifferent (low Necessity, low Concerns)

Ambivalent (high Necessity, high Concerns)

Accepting (high Necessity, low Concerns)

14 (2.0%)

13 (1.8%)

451 (63.3%)

234 (32.9%)

  1. *Necessity and Concerns dimensions were divided at the scale midpoint 15 (low Concerns ≤ 15, high Concerns > 15; low Necessity ≤ 15, high Necessity > 15).
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