Beliefs on epilepsy in Northern Ghana

Changes in public attitude toward epilepsy in Hungary since 1994. A multicriteria weighting analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the adult Hungarian population's knowledge about and attitude toward epilepsy and compare the present findings with previous ones in 1994 and 2000.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional survey of the Hungarian adult population from 28th February to 8th March 2023. A non-probability quota sampling with a random walk method was used. We applied the computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) method and used a multicriteria weighting procedure to correct for bias along the main sociodemographic variables. To detect changes over time, we used chi-squared tests, and to analyze the effect of sociodemographic characteristics, we applied multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

One thousand participants (53.1% women, mean age 48.1 ± 16.75 years) representing Hungary's population were interviewed yielding a response rate of 80.3%. 26.3% knew someone with epilepsy (55.9% in 1994 and 51.9% in 2000), and 30.8% saw an epileptic seizure (58% in 1994 and 55.3% in 2000). Compared to the young, fewer adults and elderly people knew someone with epilepsy or had seen a seizure. Like in 1994 and 2000, 16.6% reported objection to their children's interaction with people with epilepsy; however, in the present study, significantly fewer people opposed their children marrying or working together with epileptic people, indicating a change in attitude (p < 0.0001). Rural residents had less objection to their children's interaction with people with epilepsy (p < 0.05). People with secondary education objected significantly more often than those with primary education to their children's interaction (p = 0.037), marriage to people with epilepsy (p = 0.043), or their having equal employment (p = 0.008). Higher education people were as "permissive" as those with primary education.

SIGNIFICANCE

Certain parameters of familiarity and attitude markers of the Hungarian population toward epilepsy have improved. These tendencies are promising, but work is still needed; our results will hopefully evoke educational programs and campaigns against negative attitudes.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

The knowledge of the Hungarian population about epilepsy and their attitude toward people with epilepsy has been improved since 1994. People from rural areas have shown more acceptance for people with epilepsy. Those people who completed secondary education were significantly more prone to stigmatization than those with primary education.

Community-engaged healthcare model for currently under-served individuals involved in the healthcare system

In the US, many people are excluded from healthcare structures and systems, due to multiple macro and micro factors. Poverty, health ecosystems, mental health, and community amenities are some of the issues confronting those who are not able to access appropriate support. This population is often referred to as 'high needs, high cost' (HNHC), a term that has been applied to refer to people who repeatedly utilize services without significant benefit (we have replaced this term with 'currently under-served'; C-US). For many traditional health solutions may not address the fundamental issues confronting their health. Community-Engaged Healthcare (CEH) is an approach that equips members of the community to levy power to advocate for their own health or social solutions, designing their own interventions to address needs with support from health providers. A realist review was conducted to identify the existing literature around CEH. This yielded ten papers that were reviewed by at least two authors and rated in terms of quality. A model describing the processes underpinning CEH was then iteratively generated, resulting in additional terms that were used in a second review of the literature. A further 16 peer-reviewed articles were identified and were independently reviewed and quality rated. These articles were used to refine further iterations of the model and included in the review where appropriate. The resulting model schematically posits a set of relational factors identified to be important in the establishment of CEH. Notably, the transfer of autonomy and power over health decision-making processes is emphasized, which will require revolutionary thinking about how healthcare is delivered for patients.

Neurological disorders encountered at an out-patient clinic in Ghana's largest medical center: A 16-year review

Background

With a rising age of its population, sub-Saharan Africa(SSA) is currently experiencing an unprecedented rise in burden of neurological disorders. There is limited data on the demographic profile of neurological diseases in SSA.

Objective

To describe the spectrum of neurological disorders at the adult neurology clinic at Ghana's leading medical center.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted at the adult neurology clinic at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital between 2003 and 2019. We retrospectively reviewed charts of all cases seen at the clinic over the period to document main neurological diagnosis, and captured age and sex of participants. Neurologic diseases were classified using the revised International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ICD 11 tool.

Results

There were 7950 patients sought consultation over the period with 7076 having a primary neurological disorder. The mean age ± SD of patients included in the analysis was 43.0 ± 19.8 years with 3777 (53.4%) being males. The frequencies of the top 5 neurological disorders were epilepsy (23.0%), peripheral neuropathies (19.6%), movement disorders (14.7%), cerebrovascular diseases (11.1%) and headache disorders (7.7%). Neurocognitive disorders, autoimmune demyelinating disorders of the nervous system, and motor neuron disorders were infrequently observed.

Conclusion

A wide spectrum of neurological disorders were encountered in this clinic, similar to previous report from other centers in SSA. There is an urgent need to build local capacity to provide optimal care to meet the demand of the rising burden of neurological diseases in Ghana.

Epilepsy beliefs and misconceptions among patient and community samples in Uganda

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to characterize and compare the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about epilepsy across community and patient cohorts in Uganda.

METHODS

This was a descriptive study utilizing two samples: a randomly selected, national survey community sample and a hospital-based patient sample of people with epilepsy (PWE) and their caregivers attending clinic settings in Kampala and Mbarara, Uganda for epilepsy care. Both samples were surveyed about their beliefs about epilepsy, its treatment, and people who have the illness. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine group differences and variables associated with specific beliefs.

RESULTS

Among the 15,818 community survey participants who participated in this study, 435 study participants reported symptoms suggestive of recurrent seizures, and all 626 subjects in the hospital-based sample had confirmed epilepsy. Results revealed significant differences across groups in their endorsement of epilepsy as a contagion; 37% of people in the community unaffected by epilepsy, and 39% of people with suspected epilepsy who did not seek care believed that epilepsy was contagious by touch, in contrast to 8% of PWE or their caregivers attending regular hospital-based care. Higher educational attainment and income, and seeking regular hospital-based medical care were associated with less endorsement of epilepsy as a contagion, while age, education, income, area of residence, and presence of seizure symptoms, were significant predictors of support or belief in the basic rights of PWE. Study participants within the community who screened negative for seizures placed the most restrictions on rights for PWE. To varying degrees, the samples all endorsed the effectiveness of allopathic, traditional, and religious providers, and the use of pharmaceutical drugs, traditional rituals and herbs, and prayer.

CONCLUSIONS

People with epilepsy who are attending biomedical care for routine epilepsy care think differently about epilepsy, its treatment, and the rights of those with the disease than the general population. Within the community setting, more erroneous beliefs and negative attitudes about epilepsy and PWE persist, and they not only contribute to stigma but also interfere with the patients' health-seeking behavior. Further confounding the care of PWE, the pluralistic healthcare system in Uganda is evident in endorsements spanning biomedical, traditional, and religious treatment methods. Focused awareness campaigns utilizing local epilepsy societies are needed to promote epilepsy health literacy, to favorably impact acceptance and opportunities for PWE in Uganda, and to facilitate efficient uptake of biomedical care. This article is part of the Special Issue "The Intersection of Culture, Resources, and Disease: Epilepsy Care in Uganda".

The importance of faith-based mental healthcare in African urbanized sites

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review highlights what current research says about how local beliefs and norms can facilitate expansion of mental healthcare to meet the large unmet need for services in Africa.

RECENT FINDINGS

In contemporary Africa, religious beliefs exert important influences on mental health as well as the way people with mental illnesses are viewed and cared for. Mental healthcare practices based on traditional and other religious beliefs, and offered by complementary and alternative health providers (CAPs), reflect the people's culture and are often preferentially sought by a majority of the population. Despite important differences in the worldviews of CAPs and biomedical mental healthcare practitioners in regard to causal explanations, there are nevertheless overlaps in the approaches of both sectors to the management of mental health conditions. These overlaps may provide a platform for collaboration and facilitate the scaling-up of evidence-based mental health services to underserved African populations, especially those residing in ever-expanding urban centres.

SUMMARY

Faith-based mental healthcare is an important but informal component of the mental health system in much of Africa. Collaboration between its practitioners and biomedical practice may help to bridge the large treatment gap for mental health conditions on the continent.

School status and its associations among children with epilepsy in the Republic of Guinea

BACKGROUND

In low-income countries (LICs), there are multiple barriers for children with epilepsy (CWE) to attend school. We examined potentially modifiable associations with poor school performance in CWE in the West African Republic of Guinea.

METHODS

Children with epilepsy of school age were recruited using public announcements and a clinical register of people with epilepsy at the Ignace Deen Hospital in Conakry in 2018. A team of Guinean and U.S. neurologists and neurologists-in-training interviewed each CWE and parent for his/her epilepsy history, household finances, educational attainment level, and perceived stigma using the Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE). Each child was also tested using the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability (WNV). Low school performance was defined as either not attending school or being held back a grade level at least once. Potential predictors of low school performance were analyzed.

FINDINGS

Of 128 CWE (mean age: 11.6 years, 48.4% female), 11.7% (n = 15) never attended school, 23.3% (n = 30) dropped out, and 64.8% (n = 83) were currently enrolled. Of CWE attending school, 46.9% (n = 39) were held back a grade level. Overall, 54 children were defined as low performers (LPs) (42%). ;Greater than 100 lifetime seizures (odds ratio (OR) = 8.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.51, 37.4; p = 0.001) and lower total WNV score (OR = 0.954; 95% CI = 0.926, 0.977; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with poor school performance in separate models, when controlling for potential confounders. Given the strong relationship between seizure freedom and school performance, we estimated that 38 additional CWE (33.6%) could become high performers (HPs) if all CWE were adequately treated to achieve the lifetime seizure category of <10 seizures and could be cognitively intact again. Models examining SSE and household wealth quintile were not significantly associated with school performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher lifetime seizures and lower WNV score were significantly associated with low school performance in CWE in Guinea. In spite of our conservative definition of high school performance (attending without failing) and risk of referral bias at an academic center where patients were allowed to self-refer, we demonstrate that seizure control in this setting could increase the number of CWE who could attend and stay in school.

Stigma and epilepsy in onchocerciasis-endemic regions in Africa: a review and recommendations from the onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy working group

Background

In onchocerciasis-endemic areas, particularly in those with a sub-optimal onchocerciasis control programme, a high prevalence of epilepsy is observed. Both onchocerciasis and epilepsy are stigmatizing conditions. The first international workshop on onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) was held in Antwerp, Belgium (12–14 October 2017) and during this meeting, an OAE alliance was established. In this paper, we review what is known about epilepsy-associated stigma in onchocerciasis-endemic regions, and present the recommendations of the OAE alliance working group on stigma.

Main body

For this scoping review, literature searches were performed on the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct using the search terms “epilepsy AND onchocerciasis AND stigma”. Hand searches were also undertaken using Google Scholar, and in total seven papers were identified that addressed epilepsy-related stigma in an onchocercisasis-endemic area. Due to the limited number of published research papers on epilepsy-associated stigma in onchocerciasis-endemic areas, other relevant literature that describes important aspects related to stigma is discussed. The thematic presentation of this scoping review follows key insights on the barriers to alleviating the social consequences of stigma in highly affected onchocerciasis-endemic areas, which were established by experts during the working group on stigma and discrimination at the first international workshop on OAE. These themes are: knowledge gaps, perceived disease aetiology, access to education, marriage restrictions, psycho-social well-being, burden on the care-giver and treatment seeking behaviour. Based on the literature and expert discussions during the OAE working group on stigma, this paper describes important issues regarding epilepsy-related stigma in onchocerciasis-endemic regions and recommends interventions that are needed to reduce stigma and discrimination for the improvement of the psycho-social well-being of persons with epilepsy.

Conclusions

Educating healthcare workers and communities about OAE, strengthening onchocerciasis elimination programs, decreasing the anti-epileptic treatment gap, improving the care of epilepsy-related injuries, and prioritising epilepsy research is the way forward to decreasing the stigma associated with epilepsy in onchocerciasis-endemic regions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-019-0544-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health sciences students regarding epilepsy at the end of their curriculum in Benin

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health sciences students regarding epilepsy at the end of their curriculum in Benin.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical, pharmacy, nursing, and midwife students in their last year of health sciences training in the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire, containing items addressing demographics, epilepsy treatment, diagnosis, clinical practice, and social tolerance regarding a person with epilepsy (PWE).

RESULTS

The response rate to our survey was 87.7% (n = 164). The sample consisted of 64 medical students, 22 pharmacy students, 43 nursing students, and 35 midwife students. They were divided into 95 female subjects and 69 males; sex ratio was 0.7. The mean age of participants was 23.6 ± 1.8 years. The mean scores for epilepsy knowledge, practices, and attitudes were respectively 7.6 ± 1.7 out of a maximum score of 11, 3.9 ± 1.8 out of 8, and 9.6 ± 0.8 out of 10. The KAP overall score was 21.1 ± 3.4 out of a maximum score of 29.0. The variables associated with the overall KAP score were training school, gender, having heard about epilepsy before health sciences studies (p = 0.017), and having a relative with epilepsy (p = 0.001). Male students and medical school students had significantly better overall KAP score than female students or the other training schools respectively (p < 0.001).

SIGNIFICANCE

These findings support the need to improve the health sciences students' knowledge of epilepsy, in particular, during their training.

Knowledge, stigma, and quality of life in epilepsy: Results before and after a community-based epilepsy awareness program in rural Bolivia

INTRODUCTION

Epilepsy represents around 0.7% of the overall global burden of diseases and is particularly prevalent and associated with significant disability in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in Latin American Countries (LAC). A community-based epilepsy awareness program was carried out by our group in the rural areas of the Chaco region, Plurinational state of Bolivia, to improve the knowledge about epilepsy, with a first part directed toward general practitioners and a second part toward nurses and community health workers (CHWs) of the rural communities with a positive outcome. The objective of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward epilepsy, the stigma related to epilepsy and the quality of life in people with epilepsy (PWE) before and after the interventional campaign directed toward representative members of the rural communities in the Chaco region in Bolivia.

METHODS

The study was conducted in three areas of Bolivia. Key subjects from each community were randomly selected. Before and after the courses they answered a questionnaire to assess their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices about epilepsy, a validated Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE) and Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-10 (QOLIE-10).

RESULTS

Two hundred sixteen subjects were involved in the program. Only 133 (61.6%) subjects completed the questionnaires a month after the educational program. A significant improvement was recorded in knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward epilepsy, and a significant reduction was found in the mean SSE total score (38.3 ± 14.7 vs. 28.5 ± 12.3; p < 0.01), reflecting a reduction of stigma levels. Regarding the quality of life, after the training, PWE stated to experience less depression, memory difficulties, work or social issues, and seizure worry.

CONCLUSION

Our study confirms that continuous educational campaigns can lead to a significant change in the social perception and attitudes toward epilepsy.

Community perceptions of epilepsy and its treatment in an onchocerciasis endemic region in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo

Background

A recent study in the Logo and Rethy health zones in the Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported that the majority of the persons with epilepsy (PWE) had not been treated with anti-epileptic medication (AEM) or had stopped treatment. Prior to the implementation of an epilepsy treatment programme in these health zones, this study investigated the perceptions and experiences regarding epilepsy and its treatment amongst community leaders, PWE and/or their families, traditional healers and health professionals.

Methods

A total of 14 focus group discussions (FGD) and 39 semi-structured interviews (SSI) were conducted with PWE and/or their family members, community leaders, traditional healers, and health professionals in the Logo and Rethy health zones during February 2–19, 2017.

Results

In the two health zones, the clinical signs of convulsive epilepsy were recognized by community members. However, a variety of misconceptions about epilepsy were identified including the beliefs that epilepsy is a family-related condition, a contagious disease, is transmitted by insects, saliva or by touching a person of the same sex during seizures, or is caused by evil spirits and witchcraft. The role of traditional healers in spreading these beliefs was revealed. The study also reported sexual abuse on PWE, stigmatisation of PWE and loss of productivity of PWE and their families. Some PWE had been using AEM and traditional treatment but were not convinced about the efficacy of these treatment options. The lack of training of health providers about epilepsy care, financial barriers in obtaining AEM, and the shortage of AEM at primary health facilities were revealed. As remedies, the community requested access to a decentralized center for epilepsy treatment. They also proposed using churches and community health workers as communication channels for information about epilepsy.

Conclusions

Clinical signs of convulsive epilepsy were recognized by the community in the Logo and Rethy health zones but many misconceptions about epilepsy were identified. A comprehensive community-based epilepsy treatment programme with an affordable uninterrupted AEM supply needs to be established. Such a programme should address stigma, misconceptions, sexual abuse and foster the rehabilitation of PWE to alleviate poverty.

Experiences and perspectives of stigmatization and discrimination against people with epilepsy in Accra, Ghana

A qualitative research approach was utilized to investigate experiences and perspectives of people with epilepsy (PWE) and key informants. Twenty participants (14 PWE and 6 key informants) were purposively selected as participants for the study and in-depth interviews were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify emerging themes that addressed objectives of the study. The findings indicated that PWE and key informants included in this study perceived epilepsy as a spiritual, curable, and medical condition. Besides, it was found that for fear of being infected by epilepsy, some people stigmatized and discriminated against PWE. Additionally, the study provided evidence that PWE were stigmatized and discriminated against in employment and intimate relationships with the incidence of seizures being the major reason. Furthermore, the study revealed that PWE adopted various strategies (concealment, not responding to demeaning comments made by people, involvement in religious activities, and joining support groups) to manage stigma and discrimination. The findings suggest the need for public education about epilepsy in order to modify people's beliefs and views about the disease. Moreover, the provision of counseling services would help enhance the psychosocial wellbeing of PWE.

Epilepsy misconceptions and stigma reduction interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review identified papers that described epilepsy misconceptions or stigma in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and research interventions focused on reducing these misconceptions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Publications in the English language from January 2000 to October 2017 that described original research conducted in SSA on misconceptions about epilepsy were utilized.

RESULTS

Twenty-three publications were identified. Studies were from Nigeria (N = 4), Cameroon (N = 4), Uganda (N = 3), Zambia (N = 2), Ethiopia (N = 2), Tanzania (N = 2), Kenya (N = 2), Ghana, Zimbabwe, Benin, and Mali (N = 1 each). The studies included assessments of misconceptions among healthcare providers and medical students (N = 3), high school students (N = 2), teachers (N = 2), the general public (N = 10), people with epilepsy (N = 7), and traditional healers (N = 1). Only two studies had stigma-focused interventions. Majority of the studies reported limitations to socialization with people with epilepsy and various beliefs associated with epilepsy.

CONCLUSIONS

Epilepsy misconceptions, stigmatizing cultural beliefs, and perceptions were widely prevalent in SSA, and there are a few studies targeting epilepsy stigma. Existing stigma-reduction educational approaches may be impractical for general population implementation. Scalable approaches to reduce stigma are urgently needed within SSA.

Relationships between knowledge, attitudes, stigma, anxiety and depression, and quality of life in epilepsy: A structural equation modeling

PURPOSE

Epilepsy not only is a medical disorder characterized by seizures, but is also associated with stigma and a neurological disorder that affects quality of life. Insufficient knowledge and misconceptions about epilepsy that causes the development of negative attitudes towards patients with epilepsy increase the stigmatization and psychosocial problems and impact the quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between epilepsy knowledge, attitude, stigma, anxiety and depression, and quality of life within the framework of structural equation modeling.

METHOD

This research was carried out between May 2015 and May 2016 at the Epilepsy Outpatient Clinic of Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. The Epilepsy Knowledge Scale, Epilepsy Attitude Scale, Stigma Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Quality of Life in Epilepsy Scale-10 (QOLIE-10) were used. To determine the relationship between the concepts, research hypotheses were created, and structural equation modeling was made.

RESULTS

Two hundred five patients were included in the study, 53.7% were women, and the mean age was 32.5. It was found that 72.2% had generalized seizures, and 46.3% had more than one seizure per month. According to our proposed model, knowledge had a moderate relationship with attitude (including stigma) (r = 0.50) that, in turn, had a strong relationship with mental health (r = -0.62) while a moderate relationship with quality of life (r = 0.45). Our findings revealed that proposed model accounted for 20% of the variance in quality of life and 39% of the variance in mental health (anxiety and depression).

CONCLUSION

Mental health and quality of life of patient with epilepsy are closely related to the knowledge, attitude, and perceived stigma of the patients. Therefore, educating/supporting patients can help increase the mental health and quality of life.

Ghanaian traditional and faith healers' explanatory models for epilepsy

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in sub-Saharan Africa. A significant number of people with epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries do not receive formal biomedical care. They utilize the services of various traditional and alternative medicine practitioners. However, there is relatively little information about the beliefs and methods of alternative healthcare providers about epilepsy in many African countries. Using explanatory models of illness framework, we interviewed thirty-six traditional and faith healers in Ghana on their beliefs and perceptions about epilepsy, as well as how they would treat epilepsy. The healers' beliefs about the nature of epilepsy were reflected in the labels they assigned to the condition. These indicated a belief in the influence of the moon in epilepsy. Furthermore, the participants held multiple, simultaneous explanatory models of causes for epilepsy, including biological, social, and supernatural causes. Epilepsy was also considered to have serious social implications for patients, especially for women. Finally, their treatment methods involved a range of herbal and spiritual practices. These varied based on the identified cause of the condition, as well as the orientation of the healer. We discuss these findings with reference to their implications for potential collaboration between biomedical and alternative healthcare systems.

Psychosocial challenges affecting the quality of life in adults with epilepsy and their carers in Africa: A review of published evidence between 1994 and 2014

BACKGROUND

Little attention has been paid to the psychosocial challenges of adult patients with epilepsy and their carers in Africa in published studies conducted between 1994 and 2014 - yet these psychosocial challenges have been reported to have a major impact on the quality of life (QOL) of people living with the illness and those who care for them.

AIM

This review aimed to examine the literature on published studies conducted in Africa between 1994 and 2014 that examined psychosocial challenges of adult people with epilepsy and their carers. The aim was to examine the kind of psychosocial challenges from published evidence and to identify gaps in current knowledge.

METHODS

MEDLINE, PubMed, ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Africa Wide, PsycINFO, EMBASE, PASCAL, SABINET and Google Scholar databases and hand searches of Epilepsy & Behavior, Epilepsia, South African Medical Journal, African Journal of Disability, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine were reviewed.

RESULTS

Very few studies in Africa have examined psychosocial challenges affecting the adult patients with epilepsy and their carers. This review reported the existence of evidence of such challenges and the insights into the psychosocial and economic factors that underpin them. There is evidence that where these have been addressed, there were valuable insights on the types of psychosocial, socio-cultural and socio-economic challenges. Collaborative empowering interventions are needed to enable the attainment of good QOL for those affected.

CONCLUSION

Research on psychosocial challenges of adult patients with epilepsy and their carers from different sectors of healthcare to inform the design of appropriate models is needed.

Perception of, attitudes toward, and knowledge of epilepsy among teachers and high school and college students in Sicily

The study was aimed at investigating perception of, attitudes toward, and knowledge of epilepsy among college students of the University of Messina in Sicily (Italy), high school students, and teachers from Sicily in order to structure health educational programs to remediate inadequate knowledge and stigma about epilepsy. Participants in this study consisted of 932 subjects (571 males, 361 females) aged between 13 and 63 years old (M 21.75 ± 8.7): 571 college students aged between 18 and 35 years old (M 21.54 ± 2.59), 62 teachers aged between 38 and 63 years old (M 51.18 ± 6.27), and 299 high school students aged between 13 and 19 years old (M 16.05 ± 1.67). Measures were two anonymous questionnaires to collect sociodemographic information and to assess knowledge of, attitudes toward, and perception of epilepsy. Analyses were performed with descriptive statistical analysis (mean, standard deviation, frequency counts, and percentages) and Mann-Whitney U-test nonparametric for two independent samples. This study provides general information about psychosocial aspects of epilepsy in Sicily which provides the basis for further studies and the development of interventions to eliminate prejudices against persons with epilepsy and related myths.