Associations between the illness perception questionnaire for schizophrenia and engagement in treatment in a secure setting

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether individuals' beliefs about their psychosis are associated with engagement in treatment in a forensic setting. The study was cross-sectional correlational in design, and used self- and other-report measures. Thirty residents on two secure units completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire for Schizophrenia (IPQS) and the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) (as a measure of their engagement). Compliance with treatment was also rated by staff, using the Service Engagement Measure (SEM). The Timeline (beliefs in a chronic and relapsing course) and Treatment Control (beliefs in the treatability of the condition) subscales of the IPQS were associated with higher self-reported engagement on the URICA, accounting for 46% of the variance in URICA scores. None of the IPQS subscales, however, was significantly correlated with the SEM. Illness beliefs merit further investigation as a potential influence on treatment engagement in a forensic setting, but the IPQS may need further refinement, and better measures of engagement are needed.