Social support for and features of Chinese adults with epilepsy

Abstract

Abstract Background The lack of social support for adults with epilepsy (AWEs) is receiving increased attention, as it may result in low quality of life. This study was aimed to confirm the demographic characteristics of and clinical factors associated with social support for AWEs. Methods AWEs were consecutively recruited from our hospital. The 10-term Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) was used to measure social support. A linear regression analysis with stepwise selection was performed to analyze the independent variables associated with social support for AWEs. Results In total, 165 AWEs were consecutively included in the present study. Linear regression analysis showed that the marital status (t = -3.550, β = -0.272, P = 0.001), the age at onset (t = 2.545, β = 0.192, P = 0.012), and the QOLIE-31 score (t = 3.144, β = 0.221, P = 0.002) were independent variables associated with social support for AWEs. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the poor social support is associated with childhood onset of epilepsy and the unmarried status. This study also confirmed a negative influence of low social support on quality of life in AWEs.

Keywords

• Epilepsy
• Marital status
• Childhood-onset epilepsy
• Social support
• Quality of life