Abstracts

Historically, epilepsy is a deeply stigmatising condition and despite medical and social advance during the last century it remains so, albeit to a lesser extent. Despite positive changes in public attitudes towards people with epilepsy, research reveals that misunderstanding and misinformation remain and continue to maintain the stigma surrounding the condition. The present study sought to explore current attitudes towards epilepsy in a random sample of the UK general public.
The general public survey was conducted through the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS). Face to face interviews were conducted using a questionnaire developed by the authors, which included both previously validated measures and de novo questions. The questionnaire was specifically constructed to assess attitudes and beliefs towards people with epilepsy. Members of the general public who were interviewed were drawn from a stratified probability sample of all private household addresses in the UK.
1694 adults were interviewed, a response rate of 62%. A quarter of the sample knew somebody with epilepsy and 51% of the entire sample agreed that people with epilepsy were treated differently by society, with themes of exclusion and restriction commonly cited. The group who were most familiar with epilepsy expressed the most positive attitudes, while respondents from lower socio-economic groups and those with only compulsory education were found to hold the most negative views. While public attitudes had improved, knowledge gaps remained.
This study revealed that despite progress towards a better understanding of epilepsy there still remain pejorative views towards people with epilepsy. Our study revealed the need to target specific to reduce misunderstanding and misinformation. The views obtained will be useful for determining how public education campaigns should be implemented.
[Supported by: Educational grant from Sanofi-synthelabo]