Self-perception of stigma among epilepsy patients in Malaysia
Introduction: Epilepsy remains a stigmatised disease across geographical and temporal boundaries. Very little is known about epileptic stigma (ES) in cross-cultural settings. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of perceived stigma and factors associated with it, among patients with...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English English |
| Published: |
Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/48293/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48293/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48293/19/48293%20Self-perception%20of%20Stigma.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/48293/2/48293_Self-perception%20of%20stigma_SCOPUS.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/48293/3/48293_Self-perception%20of%20stigma_WOS.pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: Epilepsy remains a stigmatised disease across geographical and temporal boundaries. Very
little is known about epileptic stigma (ES) in cross-cultural settings. The aim of this study was to assess the
prevalence of perceived stigma and factors associated with it, among patients with epilepsy (PWE) at a
tertiary care referral hospital in East Coast of Malaysia. Methods: A cross sectional survey among 132
consenting PWE using pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire in Malay/English language to assess their
knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs). Results: Among 132 respondents, 51.5% were male and 48.5 %
were female. Their age ranged from 14 to 70 years (mean=31.6±13.41). Majority (53.8%) of them were aged
30 years or younger. The median number of years they had epilepsy was 8.0 (IQR 4.0-18.8) years and
average duration of seizure prior to seeking medical attention was 1.0 (IQR 0.3 - 4.5) year. Most of them
(90.9%) did not know the cause of epilepsy; however nearly all (91.7%) believed that it was a disease of the
brain. Higher education level respondents possessed significantly higher KAP scores compared to lower
education level respondents (p<0.001). Respondents with good KAP scores believed that epilepsy was not
contagious and they observed greater social tolerance. Conclusion: Our study suggests that there is an
inverse relationship between knowledge and ES. Self-perceived stigma was more common among our PWE.
The results suggest that there is a critical need to enhance epilepsy education amongst the PWE beyond
mere seizure control. |
|---|