Factors contributing to the stigma of epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the factors, including personality and coping styles, likely to be influential in enhancing the social stigma of epilepsy.


METHODS
Data were collected from 400 adults with epilepsy recruited from 10 epilepsy centers in Korea. Clinical information about seizures was obtained by neurologists, and other information was collected from self-completed questionnaires, including those measuring stigma scales.


RESULTS
Thirty-one percent of people with epilepsy felt stigmatized by their condition and in 9% of these the stigma was severe. Multivariate analysis identified experiences of actual discrimination from society, introverted personality, problem solving controllability, and emotional subscale of QOLIE-31 as being independently associated with the social stigma of epilepsy.


CONCLUSIONS
Episodes of discrimination, coping strategies, and personality may be important in feeling the stigma of epilepsy. These findings may provide a basis for further studies to clarify the causative factors generating the stigma of epilepsy.
Lee
Sang-Ahm
SA
Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. salee@amc.seoul.kr
Yoo
Hee-Jung
HJ
Lee
Byung-In
BI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires