Investigating Stigma within Epilepsy Patients and its Effect on Psychological Factors

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy within the past several decades, people suffering from this disorder continue to be stigmatized. Stigma is a psychological social process that begins with labeling and leads to social avoidance as well as social isolation. In many people suffering from epilepsy, stigma is held to adversely impact their psychological well-being and quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the stigma as well as its relationship with the psychological factors within epilepsy patients.
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the target population included all patints with epilepsy reffering to medical centers of Khoramabad during spring 2015. A total number of 100 men and women with epilepsy were selected via convenience sampling. In order to glean the study data, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Scale-31 (QOLIE-31), Eysenck Self-esteem Inventory (ESI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Stigma Scale for Epilepsy (SSE) were administered to each subject. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS.18, AMOS-18 softwares applying Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling method.
The study results indicated that the structural model properly fit the clinical sample (ch2= 6.45;
p= 0.168). Stigma was correlated with self-esteem, depression, anxiety and quality of life (P 0.9).
The findings of the present study suggest that psychosocial treatments should be taken into consideration as multidisciplinary programs of this disorder.