Stigma and Social Support among Individuals with Epilepsy

Abstract

Background: Stigma is one of the most important factors that a negative influence on people with epilepsy. Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition in India. Despite the fact that public awareness and understanding of the condition remains poor and negative attitudes towards epilepsy is a major hurdle for many people living with the condition. People with epilepsy, the continuing social reality of their condition is as a stigma. Social support plays important role in terms of helping the people with epilepsy to fight with the problems of epilepsy and stigma which is related with epilepsy. Objective: To measure the perceived stigma and social support among individual with epilepsy. Sample: The sample was consisted of 100 individual with epilepsy (50 male and 50 female) selected from RINPAS, OPD by using purposive sampling method. Design: The present study was a hospital-based cross-sectional comparative study among the individual with epilepsy. Tool: Socio demographic and clinical details the each individuals were assessed using Stigma Scale of Epilepsy and Social Support Questionnaire. Result: Finding of this research study suggested that female with epilepsy have more stigma in comparison to male with epilepsy. Female with epilepsy have poor social support in comparison to male with epilepsy. Conclusion To improve social support and reduce stigma for individual with epilepsy, there is a need for public awareness programmes to address this ignored facet of epilepsy, since it has both medical as well as social implications. Key Words: Epilepsy, stigma, social support