The relationship between psychosocial care and attitudes toward illness in adolescents with epilepsy Leila Valizadeh a, 1 , Mohammad Barzegar b, 1 , Masumeh Akbarbegloo c, ⁎, Vahid Zamanzadeh d, 1 , Elahe Rahiminia d, e, 1 , Caleb Ferguson f a Tabriz Pediatric Health Research Center, Nursing and Midwifery College, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran b Tabriz Pediatric Health Research Center, Medicine College, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran c Tabriz Pediatric Health Research Center, Nursing and Midwifery College, Urmieh University of Medical Sciences, Iran d Nursing and Midwifery College, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran e Student Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran f Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia abstract article info Article history: Received 11 June 2012 Revised 8 November 2012 Accepted 10 November 2012 Available online xxxx Keywords: Epilepsy Psychosocial care Attitudes Child Epilepsy is a significant health problem in Iran and other countries. Previous epilepsy studies conducted in Iran have often focused on physiological aspects and pharmacological therapy, and little attention has been paid to the psychological and social aspects of care, particularly in adolescence. This paper aims to fill this gap by assessing the relationship between psychosocial care and attitudes toward illness in adolescents with epilep- sy. A descriptive correlational design was adopted, and 74 adolescents who experienced generalized seizures and were treated at the neurology clinic affiliated with the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2010 were examined. The data were collected using instruments including (1) the patient demographic characteristics, (2) the Child Report of Psychosocial Care Scale, and (3) the Child's Attitude Toward Illness Scale. There was a significant positive correlation between psychosocial care and attitudes toward illness (p b .05). There is no evidence for routine psychological consultation for our sample; it would be helpful if psycholog- ical consultation with and without parents made available to adolescents with epilepsy. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Epilepsy is one of the most common and serious neurological disorders of childhood [1,2]. It leads to abnormally excessive or syn- chronous neuronal activity in the brain [3]. Worldwide, epilepsy occurs cumulatively in 3.8 individuals per thousand [4]. The point prevalence of epilepsy varies from 2.1 to 4 per 1000 individuals in Iran [5]. Epilepsy is a chronic condition, and attention to the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of chronic conditions is impor- tant [6]. If patients with epilepsy are provided with the correct treat- ment and care in a timely manner, they are at lesser risk of physical, mental, and social and family complications [7]. The multidisciplinary team that supports patients with epilepsy consists of doctors, psy- chologists, social workers and others [6], and nurses can play an important role as consultants and educators in the facilitation of self-management [8], which can affect the above-mentioned three dimensions. Epilepsy care in children has been criticized for its lack of impact. Var- ious service models and strategies have been developed in response to the perceived inadequacies in the care provision for children with epilepsy and their families. In a systematic review, Lindsay and Bradley assessed four trials and five reports in which they reported four different education and counseling programs for children, children and their par- ents, or teenagers and their parents. Each of the programs in this review showed some benefit to children with epilepsy, but their effects were ex- tremely variable. The review concluded that no program showed benefits across the full range of outcomes. No study appears to have demonstrated any detrimental effects, but evidence in favor of any single program is in- sufficient to recommend one program over another. More trials, performed by independent research teams, are necessary [9]. This study revealed a necessity for additional investigations and assessments of edu- cational and counseling interventions for clients with epilepsy. Furthermore, the psychosocial care requirements of children with epilepsy are unknown. This issue was considered in 1998 by Austin et al. through describing and developing a psychosocial care need scale for clients with epilepsy [10]. Additionally, Shore et al. [11] conducted a study with 8- to 14-year-old children 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after their diagnosis and observed that although psychosocial care needs were the highest at the 3-month data collection, worries, concerns, and a need for information and support persisted for 24 months. Epilepsy & Behavior xxx (2013) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author. Fax: +98 461 2255777. E-mail addresses: valizadehl@tbzmed.ac.ir (L. Valizadeh), m.akbarbegloo@yahoo.com (M. Akbarbegloo), zamanzadeh@tbzmed.ac.ir (V. Zamanzadeh). 1 Fax: +98 411 4796969. YEBEH-03271; No. of pages: 5; 4C: 1525-5050/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2012.11.043 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Epilepsy & Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yebeh Please cite this article as: Valizadeh L, et al, The relationship between psychosocial care and attitudes toward illness in adolescents with ep- ilepsy, Epilepsy Behav (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2012.11.043