adherence was assessed with the medication adherence
questionnaire (MAQ), a 4-item questionnaire with good
levels of internal validity and reliability,24 covering the
participant’s report on medication adherence; scores
range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher
levels of adherence. Furthermore, data concerning medication
adherence as judged by caregivers and treating
physicians were measured by the 5-point adherence item
of the life chart schedule (LCS), with scores ranging from
1 to 5, higher scores indicating higher levels of adherence.
The LCS yields reliable ratings of the long-term course of
schizophrenia.25