The Psychosocial Trauma of Epilepsy: Stigma, Social Isolation, and Patient Outcomes

Introduction: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that has an impact on a person's social and psychological health. Social stigma and isolation are major psychosocial traumas affecting mental health, quality of life, and social participation. These factors critically influence mental health, quality of life, and social participation, yet they remain underrecognized in routine clinical care. This study aimed to (۱) assess the effects of psychosocial factors—specifically stigma and social isolation—on patients with epilepsy, and (۲) examine the association between patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and their psychosocial outcomes Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from ۱۶/۵/۲۰۲۴ to ۲۰/۱۰/۲۰۲۴, using purposive non-probability sampling to select ۱۰۰ patients with epilepsy from the Middle Euphrates Neurological Center in Najaf Governorate, Iraq. Result: Most participants were male, aged ۲۰ to ۳۰ years, married, and illiterate; disease onset was at age ۲۱ or older; most were non-smokers; and the pathology was idiopathic. Lastly, overall psychosocial aspects of the patients with stigma were at a moderate level and a severe level according to social isolation, so the overall effect of psychological aspects was at a moderate level psychosocially. Conclusion: Patients with epilepsy experience considerable psychosocial trauma, with moderate levels of stigma and severe social isolation. These findings emphasize the urgent need to combine routine psychosocial assessment and trauma-informed supportive interventions into epilepsy care to improve patients' overall well-being and clinical outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Stigma ، Social isolation ، psychosocial aspects