title: Perceived stigma is a critical factor for interictal aggression in people with epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aggression in people with epilepsy (PWE) is not well understood. We investigated interictal aggression in PWE and clarified predictors and the interrelationships among them.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-control study. Eligible subjects who consecutively visited the epilepsy clinic completed several questionnaires including the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Revised Stigma Scale (RSS), the Korean version of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (K-NDDI-E), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PWEs had higher overall AQ scores and anger and hostility subscale scores than controls. Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy also had higher physical and verbal aggression subscale scores than controls. Univariate analyses revealed associations between the overall AQ score and job, household income, marriage, antiepileptic drug (AED) load, seizure control, co-administration of psychiatric drugs, the RSS score, the K-NDDI-E score, and the GAD-7 score. Multivariate analyses indicated that the strongest predictor for the overall AQ score was the RSS score (β=0.346, p<0.001), followed by the GAD-7 score (β=0.244, p=0.003), and the K-NDDI-E score (β=0.172, p=0.047). The RSS score exerted a direct effect on the overall AQ score under the influences of the GAD-7 score and the K-NDDI-E score. The GAD-7 score also exerted a direct effect on the overall AQ score, but the K-NDDI-E score only had an indirect effect on the overall AQ score through the RSS score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The degree of interictal aggression is higher in PWE than controls. Perceived stigma is a critical factor for aggression under the influence of depression and anxiety.
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors: Jong-Geun
authors: JG
authors: Seo
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors: Jeong-Min
authors: JM
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sppark@mail.knu.ac.kr.
authors: Sung-Pa
authors: SP
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants
keywords: Aggression; Anxiety; Depression; Epilepsy; Predictor; Stigma