Popoluska, E. orcid.org/0000-0003-1817-2575, Levita, L. and Reuber, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-4104-6705 (2024) The role of shame in functional and epileptic seizures. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, 120. pp. 165-172. ISSN 1059-1311
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Shame, a complex social emotion, may play a clinically important role in seizure disorders. Therefore, this study examined levels of shame aversion & shame proneness and their relationship with various mental health difficulties (MHDs), and seizure frequency & severity in people with functional seizures (PWFS) and epilepsy (PWE).
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, PWFS (N = 68) and PWE (N = 70) were recruited through a neurology clinic and charities, completed online self-reported measures of shame proneness & aversion, seizure frequency & severity, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and perceived socioeconomic status (PSS). Data analyses involved t-tests, correlations, and moderated regression analyses.
RESULTS: Both PWFS and PWE showed high and equivalent levels of shame aversion & proneness; mean levels of these measures were more than a standard deviation higher in PWFS and PWE, than in non-clinical populations of previous studies. Both groups had clinically high levels of depression and somatic symptoms, but not anxiety, with PWFS having significantly higher levels than PWE. Shame aversion predicted anxiety and depression in both groups, even after controlling for PSS, age, and gender. Interestingly, PSS, a demographic control variable, significantly predicted depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and seizure frequency in both groups.
CONCLUSION: We observed high levels of shame and MHDs in PWFS and PWE. Shame aversion predicted anxiety and depression in both groups, even after controlling for demographic variables. Our findings underline the significant role of shame in people with seizures, despite the differences between PWFS and PWE being smaller than expected.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Anxiety; Depression; Seizures; Shame; Somatic symptoms |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jul 2024 12:48 |
Last Modified: | 11 Oct 2024 15:09 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.seizure.2024.06.028 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215238 |
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