The presence of stigma about epilepsy

Izhodišče in namen: Epilepsija spada med najstarejšo človeku poznano bolezen. Je motnja, povezana s pomembnimi psihološkimi posledicami, kot so anksioznost, depresija in slaba samopodoba. Breme teh ljudi predstavljajo nepredvidljivi napadi, socialna izključenost zaradi negativnega odnosa ljudi do te bolezni. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti stopnjo razsežnosti stigme epilepsije bolnikov in laikov ter ugotoviti, ali obstajajo statistično pomembne razlike med skupinama. Raziskovalne metode: Raziskovalno delo je temeljilo na kvantitativni metodologiji raziskovanja. Raziskava je potekala od aprila do septembra 2020. Sodelovalo je 326 anketirancev. Podatki so bili analizirani z računalniškim programom IBM SPSS. Za potrditev hipotez sta bila uporabljena testa Mann-Whitney U in Kruskal-Wallis. Rezultati: Ugotovljeno je bilo, da ni razlike v stopnji razsežnosti stigme epilepsije med bolniki in laiki (U = 12505,000, p = 0,668). Obstaja pa razlika v stopnji razsežnosti glede na spol, kjer je bilo ugotovljeno, da je stigma pri moških višja kot pri ženskah (U = 9226,000, p = 0,034). Prav tako je bilo ugotovljeno, da ne prihaja do razlik v stopnji razsežnosti stigme glede na starost (X2(2) = 322, p = 0,508). 86,6 % pacientov in 50 % laikov se strinja, da so osebe z epilepsijo stigmatizirane. Diskusija in zaključek: Epilepsija je ena izmed najbolj pogostih in še vedno stigmatiziranih bolezni, kar škodljivo učinkuje na psihološko in družbeno dobro počutje bolnikov. Bolezen nedvomno vpliva na vsa področja življenja in delovanja.Background and purpose: Epilepsy is one of the oldest diseases known to humankind. It is a disorder associated with major psychological consequences, such as anxiety, depression and poor self-image. Such people are burdened by unpredictable episodes and social exclusion due to people’s negative attitude towards this disease. The purpose of the research was to determine the degree of stigma attached to epilepsy by epileptics and by lay people, and to determine whether statistically significant differences exist between the two groups. Research methods: The research was based on the quantitative research methodology. The survey was conducted from April to September 2020, involving 326 respondents. The data were analysed using the IBM SPSS program. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to confirm the hypotheses. Results: It has been determined that there is no difference in the degree of stigma attached to epilepsy between epileptics and lay people (U = 12505.000, p = 0.668). However, there is a difference in the degree of stigma with regard to gender, with a higher rate of stigma in men than in women (U = 9226.000, p = 0.034). It has also been determined that there is no difference in the degree of stigma with regard to age (X2(2) = 322, p = 0.508). 86.6% of epileptics and 50% of lay people agree that persons with epilepsy are stigmatized. Discussion and conclusion: Epilepsy is one of the most common but nevertheless still stigmatized diseases, which has a detrimental effect on the psychological and social well-being of epileptics. The disease undoubtedly influences all areas of a person’s life and activity