Quality of Life in Epilepsy: A review and analysis of psychosocial influences on quality of life in epilepsy

This research thesis examines whether psychosocial factors influence the wellbeing of people with epilepsy.
Paper one is a literature review, examining ten studies which investigated whether the ways in which people with epilepsy think about their condition (illness perceptions) influences their wellbeing. The findings suggested that illness perceptions were an important factor in influencing wellbeing, often more highly related to wellbeing than some clinical variables, such as seizure frequency. In view of this, clinical and future research implications are discussed, which include consideration of therapeutic interventions for people with epilepsy, such as peer support and psychological interventions.
Paper two is an empirical study investigating the role of psychosocial factors on the quality of life of people diagnosed with epilepsy in adulthood. The study examined whether illness perceptions, resilience, social support, years since diagnosis and psychological therapy predicted quality of life in people diagnosed with epilepsy in adulthood. Participants were recruited through NHS services, and online, completing a set of validated questionnaires which were analysed using regression analysis. Illness perceptions and resilience were significant predictors of quality of life, accounting for a large proportion of the variance in quality of life scores. Years since diagnosis, social support and psychological therapy did not significantly predict quality of life. The findings are discussed in relation to psychological theory, as well as consideration of the clinical and research implications. The study offers novel findings about the unique experience and needs of a group of people with epilepsy who receive little research attention.
Paper three summarises the main points, findings and recommendations in relation to the empirical paper, ‘Epilepsy in Adulthood’. It is written for a varied audience, including service users, healthcare professionals and epilepsy services.