Illness perceptions determine psychological distress and quality of life in youngsters with epilepsy

Psychosocial factors associated with anxiety and depression in adolescents with epilepsy: A systematic review

Anxiety and depression are common in adolescents with epilepsy. Identifying psychosocial risk factors for anxiety and depression is essential for adolescents with epilepsy to receive appropriate support. This systematic review synthesised findings of studies examining the relationship between psychosocial factors and anxiety and/or depression in adolescents with epilepsy. Outcomes were anxiety, depression, and mixed anxiety & depression. Six electronic databases were searched for studies which: used cross-sectional or prospective designs; quantitatively evaluated the relationship between psychosocial factors and anxiety and/or depression; presented results for adolescents with epilepsy aged 9-18 years; and used validated measures of anxiety and/or depression. Psychosocial factors were categorised as intrapersonal, interpersonal, or parent-specific factors. Sixteen studies (23 articles) were included. All but one were cross-sectional. Regarding intrapersonal factors, alternative mental health difficulties were consistently positively associated with all three outcomes. Negative attitude towards epilepsy, lower seizure self-efficacy, lower self-esteem and stigma were consistently positively associated with depression. Interpersonal factors (i.e., lower family functioning assessed from an adolescent's perspective) and parent-specific factors (i.e., parental stigma, stress, anxiety and psychopathology) were positively associated with at least one outcome. Adolescent epilepsy management should exceed assessment of biological/biomedical factors and incorporate assessment of psychosocial risk factors. Prospective studies examining the interplay between biological/biomedical factors and the psychosocial factors underpinning anxiety and depression in adolescents with epilepsy are needed.

Investigation of illness perception and pregnancy avoidance in sexually active women with epilepsy

AIM

The aim of the study was to examine the perception of illness and avoidance of pregnancy in sexually active women with epilepsy.

METHODS

This study was completed with 82 women with epilepsy who were sexually active and who were admitted to the neurology clinic and outpatient clinic between June and September 2022. The descriptive information form, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-B), and Pregnancy Avoidance Scale (PAS) were used to collect the data.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients in the study was 32.96 ± 5.92 years and the mean disease duration was 11.19 ± 7.46 years. Among the patients, 75.6% had previous pregnancies, 70.7% did not have miscarriage or abortion, 69.5% previously gave birth, 61% used a contraceptive method (condom, intrauterine device (IUD), pills, etc.) in their last sexual intercourse, 52.4% had good communication with their spouses, 20% had two children, 51.2% had three or more seizures, and 86.6% used antiseizure medications (ASMs). The mean PAS score of the patients was 2.31 ± 1.14 and the mean IPQ-B score was 35.10 ± 13.16. The regression analysis found that the perception of illness was a significant positive predictor of avoidance of pregnancy and explained 17% of it.

CONCLUSION

Women with epilepsy avoided pregnancy and had negative illness perceptions. Moreover, negative illness perception increased pregnancy avoidance in women with epilepsy.

Maximizing Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy

Arguably significant progress and improvement in the medical and surgical treatments of seizures and epilepsy in children have occurred; however, there have been relatively fewer efforts in optimizing the care of lifestyle complications related to the disease state. Many patients have significant behavioral and mental health comorbidities, including ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which should be treated. After epilepsy surgery, only seizure freedom results in improved quality of life (QOL). Improved compliance leads to better seizure control and ensuring that caregivers have a rescue treatment helps empower patients. Education and improving seizure illness perception is beneficial. Cannabidiol may have benefits other than seizure control. The majority of children are mainly concerned about the stigma attached to having epilepsy. Driving affecting older children is discussed. Restrictions on these children should be minimized and enabling regular activities maximized.

The association between illness perception and quality of life among Chinese adults with epilepsy: The mediating role of coping style

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the associations between illness perception, quality of life (QOL), and coping style among patients with epilepsy (PWE), and to establish the behavior of coping style as a mediator of the interplay between illness perception and QOL.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 135 adult Chinese PWE was performed. All patients completed clinical and demographic questionnaires, the Chinese version of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (CIPQ-R), the quality of life in epilepsy-31 inventory (QOLIE-31), and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Collected data were assessed through correlation analyses, structural equation modeling (SEM), and multiple stepwise linear regression assessments.

RESULTS

These patients exhibited a mean QOLIE-31 total score of 46.9 points, consistent with moderately low QOL. Under model III (F = 9.447, p < 0.01, R² = 0.486), all included variables were found to explain 48.6% of the observed variation in QOL, with illness perception and coping style, respectively, explaining 27.3% and 7% of such variation. SEM findings illustrated that the total influence value of illness perception on QOL was 77.5% (β = -0.775, p < 0.001). Moreover, the illness perception was found to have a direct impact on QOL (β = -0.620, p = 0.001), negative coping (β = 0.309, p < 0.001), and positive coping (β = -0.265, p = 0.014), with negative coping (β = -0.256, p = 0.003), and positive coping (β = 0.288, p = 0.006) also having a direct impact on such QOL. Positive and negative coping styles also served as mediators of an indirect relationship between illness perception and QOL (β = -0.27*0.29 + 0.31* - 0.26 = -0.159, p = 0.001), with coping style thus serving as a significant mediator of the association between QOL and illness perception. The mediating impact of coping style on QOL accounted for 20.5% (-0.159/-0.775) of the total influence.

CONCLUSION

Both coping style and illness perception were detected to be significantly correlated with the QOL of Chinese adult PWE, with coping style serving as a mediator of the association between QOL and illness perception in this patient population. As such, when seeking to control seizures, medical workers should assess illness perceptions and coping styles among PWE as quickly as possible in order to select the optimal interventions most likely to improve the QOL of these patients.

Psychological distress symptoms and illness perception in patients with epilepsy in Northwest Greece

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to compare psychological distress between patients with epilepsy and healthy controls and to evaluate potentially related factors to psychological distress in patients with epilepsy. Furthermore, we assessed how psychological distress and other potential factors mediate illness perception in patients with epilepsy in an urban area of Northwest Greece.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A case-control study was conducted in adult patients with epilepsy followed up at the University Hospital of Ioannina and in healthy controls. The Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R) for symptoms of psychological distress and the overall psychological distress Global Severity Index (GSI) evaluation, the brief illness perception questionnaire (B-IPQ), and the Adverse Event Profile (AEP) questionnaire for the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were used.

RESULTS

Seventy patients with epilepsy and 70 controls were recruited in the study. Somatic, depression, and anxiety symptoms and the GSI were higher in patients than in controls. In patients with epilepsy, the AEP score was significantly associated with psychological distress. Illness perception was associated with the number and the total number of administered AEDs; the AEP score; somatic, obsessive, depressive, and anxiety symptoms; and the GSI. After regression analysis, epilepsy characteristics, AEDs, and psychological distress accounted for 11.7%, 28.7%, and 5.5% of variance in BIP-Q score, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Screening for psychological distress in patients with epilepsy is of high importance in clinical practice as somatic, depression, and anxiety symptoms and overall psychological distress are more severe in patients with epilepsy than in healthy controls. The symptoms of psychological distress are strongly associated with the adverse effects of AEDs. The epilepsy characteristics, the AEDs, and the psychological distress could determine a large part of illness perception in epilepsy, with the adverse effects of AEDs being the strongest predictor.

Exploring the relationship between parent-child communication about epilepsy and psychosocial well-being

This study examined the relationship between parent-child communication and psychosocial well-being of 47 children living with epilepsy and 72 parents of children living with epilepsy. Open communication was associated with positive illness attitude, positive self-perception and greater health-related quality of life for children living with epilepsy; positive response to illness for parents; and more perceived social support and less need for epilepsy-related support for children living with epilepsy and parents. By contrast, closed communication was associated with poorer psychosocial well-being in children living with epilepsy and parents. Healthcare professionals should provide guidance for families living with childhood epilepsy on the importance of open communication in promoting greater psychosocial well-being.

Psychosocial Factors in Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs and Their Families

Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families may experience a variety of internal (ie, emotional and behavioral) and external (ie, interpersonal, financial, housing, and educational) psychosocial factors that can influence their health and wellness. Many CYSHCN and their families are resilient and thrive. Medical home teams can partner with CYSHCN and their families to screen for, evaluate, and promote psychosocial health to increase protective factors and ameliorate risk factors. Medical home teams can promote protective psychosocial factors as part of coordinated, comprehensive chronic care for CYSHCN and their families. A team-based care approach may entail collaboration across the care spectrum, including youth, families, behavioral health providers, specialists, child care providers, schools, social services, and other community agencies. The purpose of this clinical report is to raise awareness of the impact of psychosocial factors on the health and wellness of CYSHCN and their families. This clinical report provides guidance for pediatric providers to facilitate and coordinate care that can have a positive influence on the overall health, wellness, and quality of life of CYSHCN and their families.

Metacognitive beliefs and illness perceptions are associated with emotional distress in people with epilepsy

PURPOSE

Emotional distress is common in people with epilepsy (PWE) for which efficacious interventions are required. Developing evidence-based treatments should be based on testable models of the psychological mechanisms maintaining psychopathology. The Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model proposes that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs and processes are central to the development and maintenance of emotional distress. Although preliminary support exists for the role of metacognitive beliefs in emotional distress in PWE, their role has yet to be tested when controlling for the contribution made by illness perceptions.

METHODS

Four hundred and fifty-seven PWE completed an online survey, which assessed anxiety, depression, metacognitive beliefs, illness perceptions, general demographic factors, and epilepsy characteristics.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that metacognitive beliefs and illness perceptions were both associated with anxiety and depression when controlling for the influence of demographic variables and epilepsy characteristics. However, metacognitive beliefs accounted for more variance in anxiety and depression than illness perceptions.

CONCLUSION

Metacognitive beliefs appear to make a greater contribution to anxiety and depression in PWE than illness perceptions. Prospective studies are now needed to establish the causal role of metacognitive beliefs in both the development and persistence of emotional distress.

Perceptions of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Coping Predict Emotional Distress During the Acute Phase After Transplantation

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To test whether a widely used model of adjustment to illness, the self-regulatory model, explains the patterns of distress during acute hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). According to the model, perceptions of HSCT, coping, and coping appraisals are associated with distress.
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DESIGN

Longitudinal, correlational.
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SETTING

The Centre for Clinical Haematology at Nottingham City Hospital and the Department of Haematology at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, both in the United Kingdom.
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SAMPLE

45 patients receiving mostly autologous transplantations for a hematologic malignancy.
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METHODS

Patients were assessed at baseline, on transplantation day, and two and four weeks after transplantation using three questionnaires.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress, and overall distress (DASS-21); use of different coping styles (Brief COPE); and perceptions of HSCT and coping appraisals (Brief IPQ).
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FINDINGS

As suggested by the self-regulatory model, greater distress was associated with negative perceptions of HSCT, controlling for the effects of confounding variables. Mixed support was found for the model's predictions about the impact of coping styles on distress. Use of active and avoidant coping styles was associated with more distress during the acute phase after HSCT.
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CONCLUSIONS

Negative perceptions of HSCT and coping contribute to psychological distress during the acute phase after HSCT and suggest the basis for intervention.
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IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Eliciting and discussing patients' negative perceptions of HSCT beforehand and supporting helpful coping may be important ways to reduce distress during HSCT.

Evaluation of a self-regulation based psycho-educational pilot intervention targeting children and adolescents with epilepsy in Greece

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to describe the development and initial evaluation of a minimal structured psycho-educational intervention for children and adolescents with epilepsy. The intervention aimed at increasing the understanding and personal control (self-management) of epilepsy, and at reducing psychological distress, sleep problems and somatic complaints.

METHOD

Twelve patients participated in our intervention and another 12, matched on age and gender, served as the control group. Data were obtained at baseline (prior to the intervention) and 3 months later in the context of an interview based on several validated questionnaires. The intervention was limited to one 4-h session using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques, relaxation techniques, video and storytelling. Effects of the intervention on primary and secondary outcomes were examined using 2 (baseline, T1 vs. post-treatment, T2)×2 (intervention vs. control) mixed model repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for epilepsy severity.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed that over the three months of the study, significant main effects (group x time) were observed on coherence (F_(1,21)=6.12; p=0.02) with important changes in favour of the intervention group. Significant main effects were also observed on psychological distress levels (F_(1,21)=10.08; p=0.005) and sleep problems (F_(1,21)=11.40; p=0.003).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study show that a brief self-regulation-based intervention may have beneficial effects for children and adolescents suffering from epilepsy by inciting improvements in coherence, psychological distress and sleep problems.

Predictors of health-related quality of life in patients with epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

Epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The present study investigated the profile, relationship, and predictive power of illness perceptions, psychological distress (depression and anxiety), seizure activity, and demographic factors on HRQoL in these patient groups. Patients with epilepsy (n=62) and PNES (n=45) were recruited from a United Kingdom hospital and from membership-led organizations for individuals living with seizures. Patients completed a series of self-report questionnaires assessing: anxiety (GAD-7), depression (NDDI-E), illness perceptions (B-IPQ), HRQoL (NEWQOL-6D), and seizure frequency and severity (LSSS-3). Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Patients with epilepsy reported higher HRQoL and scored lower on measures of depression and anxiety. Patients with PNES perceived their condition as more threatening overall. In both conditions, HRQoL was negatively correlated with more severe illness perceptions and psychological distress. In epilepsy and PNES, psychological distress (epilepsy: 27%; PNES: 24.8%) and illness perceptions (epilepsy: 23.1%; PNES: 23.3%) accounted for the largest amount of variance in HRQoL. Clinical factors were found not to be significant predictors, while demographic factors predicted HRQoL in epilepsy (12.6%), but not in PNES. Our findings support the notion that psychological factors are a stronger predictor of HRQoL in epilepsy and PNES than condition-related and demographic variables. Prior research suggests that anxiety and depression are key predictors of HRQoL; this study demonstrates that the relationship between illness perceptions and HRQoL is similarly close. These findings highlight the importance of addressing patients' beliefs about their condition.

The contribution of illness perceptions to fatigue and sleep problems in youngsters with epilepsy

PURPOSE

The present study aims to explore the extent to which gender, epilepsy severity and illness perceptions predict fatigue and sleep problems in youngsters with epilepsy.

METHOD

Structured interviews were conducted in 100 young patients (Mage = 13,9, SD = 2.21; 41% girls) and data were analyzed by means of multiple hierarchical regression analyses.

RESULTS

Most patients (91%) were well controlled by anti-epileptics; 3% had infrequent seizures and 6% were pharmacoresistant. At a multivariate level it appeared that youngsters with epilepsy who believe that they have less personal control over their illness and who feel that the illness has a high emotional impact on their lives reported higher levels of fatigue. In addition, more sleep problems were reported by youngsters who think they have less personal control over the disease, who believe that treatment controls epilepsy and report that the disease has a high emotional impact on their lives.

CONCLUSION

Given the importance of illness perceptions, it is suggested that they are targets for future interventions that aim to reduce fatigue and sleep problems in youngsters with epilepsy.