Impact of idiopathic epilepsy on mothers and fathers: strain, burden of care, worries and perception of vulnerability.

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of idiopathic epilepsy on mothers and fathers in terms of strain, burden of care, worries and perception of vulnerability. Data were collected and analyzed shortly after the diagnosis (T0) and 12 months later (T1). The results indicated that at T0 parents of children with epilepsy showed higher levels of worries and perception of vulnerability than controls; mothers sustained a greater burden of care and exhibited higher levels of strain than fathers. At T1, strain and perception of vulnerability decreased both for mothers and fathers, while burden of care and worries remained stable. At T0 and T1, strain was associated with parents' perception of vulnerability and anxiety for their children's future.

Coping strategies in epilepsy: 50 drug-resistant and 50 seizure-free patients.

We investigated the coping styles and their correlation to psycho-social functioning in two groups of patients, the first group with drug-resistant epilepsy and the second with well-controlled epilepsy. The instruments administered were the following: the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (non-verbal intelligence), the Echelle Toulousaine de Coping, ETC (coping styles), the Self-esteem Questionnaire (self-esteem), the Self-efficacy Questionnaire (social self-efficacy), a Quality of Life Measure and a semi-structured interview on psycho-social adjustment. We found a significant difference in coping responses between the two groups: drug-resistant patients seemed to adopt the "denial" and the "exclusion" strategies more (P<0.05). On the contrary, seizure-free subjects used the "control" strategy more (P<0.05). A significant correlation between disengagement patterns and poorer social outcomes was pointed out, while "control" was associated with better social adaptation. Our findings provide evidence of the importance of coping assessment, considering the influence of these strategies on the well being of patients. Offering psychological support to epilepsy patients should be considered when orientating the effectiveness of the patients' coping styles.