Factors affecting quality of life in Hungarian adults with epilepsy: A comparison of four psychiatric instruments

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Sleep Quality and their Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life in People with Epilepsy: A study from Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Epilepsy is one of the most common but manageable neurological disorder. The relation between epilepsy, sleep, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in culturally distinct environment of Pakistan remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence and predictors of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), poor sleep quality (SQ), and to analyze their association with HRQoL in people with epilepsy (PWE).

METHODS

A study was conducted among PWE attending two tertiary care hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The EDS, SQ, and HRQoL were evaluated by Urdu versions of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31).

RESULTS

The study included 200 PWE and 51 healthy controls with mean (SD) ages of 33.1 ± 13.9, 32.9 ± 10.9, and a disease duration of 5.01 ± 6.17, respectively. The majority of the respondents (n = 130, 65%) had poor seizure control, and most of these (n = 88, 68%) were on combination antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. In comparison to controls, a higher number of PWE had EDS by ESS (score ≥ 11, 10% vs. 40%, p-value 0.00), and poor SQ by PSQI (score > 5, 9% vs. 71%, p-value 0.00). A multiple logistic regression analysis reveals that the factors significantly associated with EDS were: female gender; increasing age; seizure control; duration of epilepsy; and combination AED therapy. A second multiple binary logistic regression analysis suggests that factors significantly associated with poor SQ were: increasing age; female gender; poor seizure control; and combination therapy. The Hierarchical multivariate analysis suggests that poor seizure control, EDS, and poor SQ were significant predictors of low HRQoL.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest high prevalence of EDS and poor SQ in PWE in Pakistan. A significant negative association exists between sleep complaints and HRQoL. During routine clinical consultations, awareness about sleep hygiene practices must be provided to enhance HRQoL.

The role of siblings in the process of forming life satisfaction among young adults – moderating function of gender

The main aim of the study was to explore the relationship between life satisfaction and sibling bond quality, with gender playing a moderating role. The sample consisted of 276 young adults with a single biological sibling. The participants completed three questionnaires: a sociodemographic survey, the STQ-Now (quality of the sibling relationship) and the SWLS (level of life satisfaction). No difference was observed between men and women regarding life satisfaction; however, the gender constellation in a sibling dyad was found to be statistically significant. Same-sex pairs scored higher on life satisfaction than cross-sex siblings. A positive relationship with a brother or a sister based on mutuality correlated with high overall satisfaction with life, while criticism, competition and apathy were associated with lower general satisfaction. Additionally, two of these relations (i.e. mutuality and apathy) were moderated by gender. Lastly, representatives of the Supportive type of relationships obtained higher levels of life satisfaction than the Ambivalent or the Reluctant types. The findings suggest that siblings play an essential role in shaping psychological well-being. As early adulthood is a stage characterised by multitasking and various challenges, the formation of positive, adaptive and supportive sibling bond may maintain good life satisfaction. The findings also underline the significance of gender combination in the relationship.

Relationships among illness representations and depressive symptom severity in predominantly African-American and Caribbean-American people with epilepsy

Objective: Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity among people with epilepsy (PWE) and tends to be more prevalent among people of color (POC) and those with intractable seizures. However, the extent to which illness-related perceptions are associated with depressive symptom severity among POC with intractable seizures is unclear. Method: This cross-sectional study examined relationships among illness representations and self-rated depressive symptoms in 55 PWE (M Age = 41; 61.8% female) with intractable seizures (M seizures per month = 2) who identified as Black/African-American (52.7%), Black/Caribbean-American (27.3%), and/or Hispanic/Latino (21.8%). Epilepsy-related illness perceptions were assessed with the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised and depression was measured via the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E). Results: Nearly half of the sample (41.8%) scored above the NDDI-E depression cut-off. PWE endorsing more severe depressive symptoms indicated that their epilepsy had more negative consequences, was hard to comprehend, was insufficiently controlled by treatment, and had a negative emotional impact (p's ≤ 0.02). Controlling for sex, these four illness representations accounted for 48% of the variance in depression severity. Interestingly, participants with probable major depressive episodes were more likely to endorse several psychological causes of seizures compared to non-depressed PWE. Conclusions: Worse depression symptom severity was associated with negative illness perceptions and a tendency to attribute one's epilepsy to psychological causes. Future research is needed to understand how the relationship between negative illness perceptions and depression symptoms unfold over time and whether interventions aimed at modifying illness representations reduce psychological distress in diverse PWE.

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.