Knowledge of and attitudes towards epilepsy among first- and second-year students at a German university

Mewes, Svenja; Jeschke, Sarah; Bertsche, Thilo; Neininger, Martina Patrizia; Bertsche, Astrid

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107490

Cited by 12 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This figure is comparable to the findings of similar studies conducted in Saudi Arabia (Obeid et al, 2012) and Malaysia (Ab Rahman, 2005), 81.8% and 86.5% respectively. When compared to more recent studies -however-, we found that our figure was lower than those reported in other studies conducted among German medical students (96.7%) (Mewes et al, 2020), Indian students (92.5%) (Panda et al, 2011), and Saudi students (95.3%) (Alomar et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 96%

Awareness and attitude of first‐year medical students toward epilepsy in University of Khartoum, Sudan

et al. 2021

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Purpose: Very little is known about the knowledge and attitude of students about epilepsy at Sudanese universities. Therefore, we aimed to assess knowledge and attitude of undergraduate medical students toward epilepsy. Methods:A 35-items standardized questionnaire was self-administered to 320 students between December 2020 and February 2021 with a recorded response rate of 61.8%. Google form was used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using R software.Results: Overall, our findings showed a negative trend in the awareness and attitude towards epilepsy. While the majority of students (84.8%) had read or heard about epilepsy, only 43.9% of them had seen someone with epilepsy. Epilepsy was considered contagious and psychological by 1.7% and 56%, respectively. About 62.2% of students believed head / birth trauma is a cause of epilepsy. On the other hand, 15.7 % and 5.1 % of students thought evil eye and divine retribution are also causes of epilepsy, respectively. The latter beliefs were more uniform among participants from rural background (p < .05). Regarding attitude, 19.7% of students considered it inappropriate for a patient with epilepsy to have a child. This attitude correlates with the mother's education as the percentage was higher for students whose mothers had a lower education (pre-college education) (p < .05). The majority of students were aware that certain people with epilepsy need long-term drug treatment; this belief was more uniform among females than in males (p < .05). The vast majority of students (93.9%) thought that a child with epilepsy could succeed in a normal class. Compared to the corresponding group, this belief was found more common in students whose mothers had a higher education (university level and above) (p < .05). Conclusion:This study concludes that Sudanese undergraduate students' understanding of epilepsy was minimal, necessitating a well-directed educational campaign to develop a well-informed and tolerant society.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 96%

Awareness and attitude of first‐year medical students toward epilepsy in University of Khartoum, Sudan

et al. 2021

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“…Avoidance of PWEs has been linked to little knowledge and limited personal contacts 12,14,18,29 . Although knowledge of epilepsy has improved in long‐term follow‐up studies, 10,12 several studies have reported gaps in basic knowledge about epilepsy 9,14,16 . The worry that someone has a sudden unpredictable seizure and the feeling of not being confident to provide first aid is still common in the general population 12,15 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cui et al 13 pointed out that in some individuals, avoidance of a PWE might be seen as the better option than anticipating a possible seizure and the need for first aid. In addition, negative attitudes are higher in individuals with no or little contact with PWEs 9,14,16,29 . Individuals knowing a PWE had more knowledge about epilepsy and first aid and felt more confident providing help in case of a seizure 18 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attitudes toward persons with epilepsy as friends: Results of a factorial survey

et al. 2023

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Objective Discrimination against persons with epilepsy (PWEs) may persist. The aim of this study was to examine whether epilepsy is an obstacle to desired friendship. Methods A factorial survey (vignettes), which is less biased by social desirability, was applied to PWEs, their relatives, and lay persons. The vignettes described a person who was varied by the dimensions of age (younger, same age, older), gender (male, female), disease (healthy, mild epilepsy, severe epilepsy [generalized tonic–clonic seizures], diabetes), origin (German, non‐German), contact (phone/internet, activities at home, activities outside), frequency of contacts (weekly, monthly), and distance (around the corner, 10 km away). Respondents rated their willingness to befriend the person on a 10‐point Likert scale. Multivariate regression determined the contribution of each dimension on the judgment. Results Participants were 64 PWEs (age = 37.1 ± 14.0 years), 64 relatives of PWEs (age = 45.1 ± 13.6 years), and 98 controls without contact with PWEs (age = 24.4 ± 10.1 years). Controls were less interested in a friendship with a PWE with mild epilepsy (−3.4%) and even more avoided PWEs with severe epilepsy (−11.7%), whereas in PWEs with tonic–clonic seizures, a mild form of epilepsy was actually conducive to friendship (+7.0%). Controls preferred females (+5.0%) and disliked younger people (−12.3%) and contacts via the internet or telephone (−7.3%). PWEs were also less interested in younger people (−5.8%), and relatives of PWEs had a lower preference for friendships with longer distance (−2.3%). Significance PWEs still suffer from a risk of social avoidance, and this becomes more evident with generalized motor seizures.

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“…The percentage of participants with some knowledge of epilepsy was comparable to reports from other Arab countries including Kuwait (97.6%) [42] , the United Arab Emirates (UAE, 75% and 97%) [43] , [44] , and Jordan (88%) [45] . Other countries reporting on attitudes and knowledge toward PWE include Iran (76.6%) [46] , China (93%) [47] , Greece (94%) [48] , United States (US, 90%–95% over a five-year period) [49] , Taiwan (87%) [50] , Turkey (81%) [51] , New Zeeland (95%) [52] , Germany (94.8%) [53] , and Ethiopia (97.1% in rural and 92.3% in urban areas) [17] , but lower than Cameroon in studies reported in 2009 and 2013 (99.3% and 99.6%, respectively) [54] , [55] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving public stigma, sociocultural beliefs, and social identity for people with epilepsy in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia

Ghaffar

Asiri

AL-Eitan

et al. 2021

Epilepsy & Behavior Reports

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Knowledge of and attitudes towards epilepsy among first- and second-year students at a German university

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Awareness and attitude of first‐year medical students toward epilepsy in University of Khartoum, Sudan

Awareness and attitude of first‐year medical students toward epilepsy in University of Khartoum, Sudan

Attitudes toward persons with epilepsy as friends: Results of a factorial survey

Improving public stigma, sociocultural beliefs, and social identity for people with epilepsy in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia

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