title: Psychosocial and sociodemographic associates of felt stigma in epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lack of a sufficient range in socioeconomic status (SES) in most prior studies of felt stigma and epilepsy has hampered the ability to better understand this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the burden and associates of felt stigma in 238 individuals with prevalent epilepsy aged 18 and older, comparing low SES with high SES.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reported levels of stigma were higher in low SES than in high SES (p<0.0001), and all psychosocial variables were associated with stigma, including depression severity (p<0.0001), knowledge of epilepsy (p=0.006), quality of life (p<0.0001), social support (p<0.0001), and self-efficacy (p=0.0009). Stigma was statistically significantly associated with quality of life in the low SES group and with depression severity and social support in the high SES group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low SES alone did not account for felt stigma; rather, we found that quality of life, depressive symptoms, and social support have the greatest impact on reported felt stigma in individuals with prevalent epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: GH Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Emily B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Leaffer
authors.affiliation: GH Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: dch5@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Dale C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hesdorffer
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Begley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012931:Social Environment; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Epilepsy; Felt stigma; Quality of life; Social support; Socioeconomic status