Religiosity and spirituality in patients with epilepsy.
Isadora Barazzetti Rigon, Gabriel de Almeida Calado, Lucas Savaris Linhares, Pietro Lentz Martins Cantu, Jorge Luis Wollstein Moritz, Peter Wolf, Katia Lin
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria May 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1590/0004-282x20190055 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 150 |
| Population | 100 patients with epilepsy and 50 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, and educational level |
| Measures | Index of Core Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT-R), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) |
| Key findings | Religiosity and spirituality scores did not differ significantly between people with epilepsy and healthy controls (both 3.0 ± 0.8). Among patients, temporal lobe epilepsy was associated with significantly higher scores than other epilepsy syndromes (3.2 ± 0.7 vs. 2.8 ± 0.9), suggesting temporal lobe involvement in religious experience. |
Abstract
Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are widely regarded as important allies against illness and suffering in general. Findings in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) suggest the temporal lobe as the anatomical-functional basis of religious experiences. Both R/S are relevant in patients with epilepsy (PWE) since epilepsy can lead to psychosocial issues for a significant portion of patients and their families. To investigate R/S in PWE, as well as the impact of different epileptic syndromes on patients' R/S. One hundred PWE and 50 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex and educational level were submitted to an interview, as well as three previously validated questionnaires: Index of Core Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT-R), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31). PWE's and control's mean ages were 35.9 ± 12.4 vs. 36.3 ± 18.1 years, mean schooling was 8.9 ± 3.7 vs. 10.1 ± 4.2 years. The mean age of epilepsy onset was 14.5 ± 12.1 and monthly frequency of seizures was 5.9 ± 12.6. INSPIRIT-R's scores were not statistically significantly different between patients and controls (3.0 ± 0.8 vs. 3.0 ± 0.8); however, INSPIRIT-R's scores were significantly higher in TLE patients when compared with other epilepsy syndromes (3.2 ± 0.7 vs. 2.8 ± 0.9; p = 0.04). Temporal lobe epilepsy patients have higher levels of R/S.