title: Attitudes towards epilepsy among a sample of Turkish patients with epilepsy.
abstract: The attitude of patients with epilepsy towards their disease is an important factor in disease management and quality of life. The aim of this study was to define the attitudes of patients with epilepsy towards their disease and the factors that affect their attitudes.
  
  
  
  This descriptive study was performed on patients admitted to an epilepsy outpatient clinic of a university hospital between May and September 2015. The sample consisted of 70 patients over 18years of age with a diagnosis of epilepsy and no health problem other than epilepsy. Patients with no seizure in the last two years were excluded. The Epilepsy Attitude Scale was used to evaluate attitudes of the patients towards epilepsy; the Epilepsy Knowledge Scale, Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 (QOLIE-10) were used to investigate the attitude-related factors.
  
  
  
  Among the 70 participants, 43 were female, and the mean age was 31.4years. The educational level of the patients was lower (primary school) in 38.6% of the sample, and 18.6% were unemployed. Time since diagnosis was 15.1years, 75.7% of the participants had generalized type of seizures, and more than half had seizures more frequently than once a month. The mean score of the attitude scale was 59.7±6.62 (range: 14-70). The attitudes of the patients towards epilepsy were found to be related to their educational status, living alone, and the attitudes of their families. The attitude scores were also related to the level of knowledge on epilepsy, stigma, and depression. Furthermore, the attitude was found to be correlated with quality of life.
  
  
  
  Patients with epilepsy had moderate-to-good attitude towards their disease. It was observed that the attitude was related to the knowledge, stigma, and depression rather than to demographic factors and the seizures, and furthermore, the attitude was found to be correlated with quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kubra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yeni
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: tulekz@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Zeliha
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tulek
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nerses
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bebek
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dede
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Candan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gurses
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Betul
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baykan
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aysen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gokyigit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attitude; Epilepsy; Knowledge; Psychological factors