Effects of Attitudes of Patients with Epilepsy TowardsTheir Disease on Mental Health and Quality of Life
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Objective: The study investigates the effects of attitudes displayed by patients with epilepsy toward their disease on theirmental health and quality of life. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the neurology outpatient clinic at HafsaSultan Hospital, Manisa Celal Bayar University between April 2015 and April 2016. The study sample comprised 182patients. The study data were collected using the Personal Information Form for Patients with Epilepsy, Impact of EpilepsyScale, Epilepsy Knowledge Scale, Epilepsy Attitude Scale, Short Form-36 (Quality of Life Scale), and Brief Symptom Inven tory. In the analysis of the data, the t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé’s post-hoc test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used. Results: In the Epilepsy Attitude Scale, the participants obtained a mean score of 48.66±13.13, suggesting that they dis played negative attitudes toward epilepsy. In the subscales of the Short Form-36 (Quality of Life Scale), the participants’ scoreswere low. Of the participants with epilepsy, those with a significantly positive attitude toward epilepsy had a high quality oflife perception. Psychological symptoms decreased in patients with epilepsy who have a positive attitude toward their disease. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the participants’ “attitudes toward epilepsy” was significantly cor related to their “psychological symptoms and quality of life.” The fact that the negative attitudes of patients with epilepsyare related to their psychological symptoms and quality of life indicates the importance of recognizing and understandingpatients’ attitudes toward their disease.