Objective: The study investigates the effects of attitudes displayed by patients with epilepsy toward their disease on their mental health and quality of life.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the neurology outpatient clinic at Hafsa Sultan Hospital, Manisa Celal Bayar University between April 2015 and April 2016. The study sample comprised 182 patients. The study data were collected using the Personal Information Form for Patients with Epilepsy, Impact of Epilepsy Scale, Epilepsy Knowledge Scale, Epilepsy Attitude Scale, Short Form-36 (Quality of Life Scale), and Brief Symptom Inventory. 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 displayed negative attitudes toward epilepsy. In the subscales of the Short Form-36 (Quality of Life Scale), the participants’ scores were low. Of the participants with epilepsy, those with a significantly positive attitude toward epilepsy had a high quality of life 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 correlated to their “psychological symptoms and quality of life.” The fact that the negative attitudes of patients with epilepsy are related to their psychological symptoms and quality of life indicates the importance of recognizing and understanding patients’ attitudes toward their disease.