Introduction and Aim: Chronic diseases are long-term, often slow-progressing conditions that can be taken under control by regular monitoring and supportive care. Numerous studies have shown that social support has a positive impact on chronic disease management. The aim of this study is to determine the level of social support perceived by individuals receiving medication due to any chronic illness, and to investigate its relationship with the patients' medication adherence levels.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out at two community pharmacies located in Istanbul on 78 patients through a period of 2 weeks. Relevant demographic, clinical and medication-related data was collected; and the patients were requested to fill in three separate scales: the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS); the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS); Drug Knowledge Test.

Results: The study was conducted on 78 patients with a mean age of 66.14 years. The median (min-max) number of disease conditions was 2.5 (1-6). The MSPSS total and subscale score results revealed that the patients perceived moderate support from the friends, while they perceived high support from the family and the significant others. The overall perceived social support represented by the total score was high. On the other hand, the patients had low medication adherence and a moderate level of drug knowledge. A positive significant correlation was found between the perceived social support score and the drug knowledge score of the patients. Also, it was observed that perceived social support score decreased as the patients’ age increased. Perceived social support was not found to be correlated with medication adherence level.

Conclusion and Recommendations: The overall perceived social support was high and perceived social support was not found to be correlated with medication adherence level.

KEYWORDS: perceived social support, medication adherence, medication knowledge, chronic disease