title: Family functioning, marital quality and social support in Chinese patients with epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine family functioning, marital quality, social support, and anxiety and depression in Chinese patients with Epilepsy (PWE) in comparison with healthy people.
  
  
  METHODS
  This case-control study included 42 PWE and 42 healthy controls. Participants completed the Zung's self-rating depression scale, the Zung's self-rating anxiety scale, the Chinese version of family cohesion and flexibility evaluation scales, the Chinese version of the marital inventory ENRICH, and the Chinese versions of the social support rating scale and perceived social support scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PWE reported higher levels of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of family cohesion, marriage quality and social support compared with controls. Support within and outside the family was negatively associated with depression, however social support did not significantly predict depression in PWE. In patients, support within the family and emotional support predicted family cohesion and marriage quality. Instrumental support was negatively associated with anxiety in patients but positively associated with depression in healthy controls. Support within the family predicted family cohesion and marriage quality in both the control group and patient group, depression predicted family adaptation in both the control group and patient group, while support outside the family predicted marriage quality only in the patient group. Both emotional and instrumental support predicted family adaptation in the control group, and emotional support predicted family cohesion in patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PWE in China had higher levels of anxiety and depression, dissatisfaction with family functioning and marital life, and less social support compared with healthy controls. Emotional support within and outside families promoted family cohesion and marriage quality, depression decreased family adaptation, and instrumental support decreased anxiety of PWE. These findings suggest that enhancing family and emotional supports and decreasing depression could promote the family functioning and marital quality of PWE, and instrumental support may play a role in decreasing anxiety.
authors: Department of Medical Psychology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China. 740169176@qq.com.
authors: Yi-he
authors: YH
authors: Wang
authors: Culture & Health Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. shellh38@gmail.com.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Haslam
authors: Department of epilepsy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine College, Jinan, 250001, Shandong, China. yuming@163.com.
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Yu
authors: Department of Medical Psychology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China. silencewo721@163.com.
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Ding
authors: Culture & Health Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. qlu3@uh.edu.
authors: Qian
authors: Q
authors: Lu
authors: Department of Medical Psychology, Shandong University School of Medicine, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China. panfang@sdu.edu.cn.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Pan
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support
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