title: Quality of life among people with epilepsy: a cross-sectional study from rural southern India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epilepsy can be associated with profound physical, social and psychological consequences and it has an impact on a person's quality of life. We assessed the quality of life and factors associated with a poor quality of life, among adults with epilepsy in a rural block of Tamil Nadu.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed 91 epilepsy patients from 20 randomly selected villages using a structured questionnaire including World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (PHQ-2) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) total score of the quality of life scale was 61.49 (12.56). Those who were single, separated or widowed (t statistic= -2.71, p<0.01), had not completed primary education (t statistic=-2.308, p<0.05), not currently going for work (t statistic=-2.748, p<0.01), had seizure in the past one year (t statistic=-4.068, p<0.01),had depressive symptoms (t statistic=-3.207, p<0.01),had higher anxiety scores (t statistic=-2.727, p<0.01), had low scores in the quality of life questionnaire. Multivariate analysis showed increasing age, education less than grade V, being unmarried, widowed or separated, lower per capita income, a high anxiety score and experiencing a seizure episode in the past one year to be significantly associated with a low score in the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire (adjusted R²=0.378, SE 9.90).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of anxiety, lack of primary education, being single, separated or widowed, increasing age, low per capita income and having a seizure episode in the past year are associated with lower quality of life among people with epilepsy.
authors: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632004, Tamil Nadu, India. rakeshrenjini@gmail.com
authors: Rakesh P
authors: RP
authors: S
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Ramesh
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Chanda
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Satish
authors: V R
authors: VR
authors: Mohan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires