Abstracts

Whilst psychosocial well-being in people with epilepsy is thought to be related to styles of coping, less is known about the relationship between the way people with epilepsy perceive their illness (i.e. their illness representations) and their psychological state. Similarly, little is known about the extent to which illness representations are related to coping strategies when predicting outcome measures such as mood. Therefore, this study set out to extend what is known about predictors of anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with chronic epilepsy. Forty-three adults with chronic epilepsy attending out-patient hospital clinics completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Ways of Coping Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Recent seizure frequency was noted, as were patients[apos] seizure types and age at onset of their epilepsy. Whilst epilepsy variables (seizure frequency, age at seizure onset and number of seizure types) were not significantly related to mood, having also adjusted for gender within multiple regression analyses, an increased use of escape-avoidance and a decreased use of distancing as coping strategies best predicted patients[apos] anxiety scores. In addition to the use of escape-avoidant coping, depression scores were also best predicted by the use of self-controlling coping strategies. After accounting for coping styles, anxiety scores were independently predicted by Illness Identity scores (i.e. the number of symptoms that patients associated with their seizures); this indicated that coping was not simply mediating the impact of illness representations on patients[apos] mood. In contrast, no measure of illness representations independently predicted depression scores. Our results highlight the potential relevance of epilepsy patients[apos] cognitive representations of their illness (and in particular patients[apos] beliefs concerning Illness Identity), as well as their coping styles in determining their psychological well-being. Such factors may also be of importance when studying aspects of their health-related behaviour.