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Abstract
The current study aimed to examine the influence of caregiver and adolescent emotional functioning (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety) on medication adherence and the mediational role of adherence barriers with 39 dyads of adolescent transplant recipients and their caregivers. Caregiver emotional functioning accounted for significant additional variance beyond the effects of adolescent emotional functioning in the prediction of adherence barriers and adherence. There was evidence of an indirect effect between caregiver emotional functioning and medication adherence through the Disease Frustration/Adolescent Issues subscale of the Adolescent Medication Barriers Scale. Results suggested that caregiver emotional functioning contributed to having more adherence barriers and subsequently lower adherence in adolescent transplant recipients. Intervention to reduce caregiver depression and anxiety symptoms may reduce adolescents adherence barriers and increase medication adherence.