How Can We Enhance the Sense of Self-Efficacy in Epilepsy Individual Responses from 2 Qualitative Case Reports.
Rosa Michaelis, Christina Niedermann, Bettina Berger
Complementary Medicine Research 2017 DOI: 10.1159/000468986 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Individuals with epilepsy, including two contrasting participants with diagnosed focal epilepsy |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Duration | 6-month intervention |
| Measures | Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Aura interruption Epilepsy Individualization of care Integrative care Resource-oriented Seizure triggers Self-efficacy |
| Key findings | The authors report that after a six-month patient-centered, resource-oriented mindfulness-based intervention, the two focal epilepsy cases showed increased seizure-related self-efficacy and self-awareness, with one participant developing a personalized aura interruption technique. They suggest that focusing epilepsy care on individually meaningful wishes may enhance psychological well-being and possibly yield positive medical results. |
Abstract
Epilepsy is a serious, common and chronic neurological condition characterized by an increased disposition to suffer occasional seizures. Psychological interventions may enhance the well-being of individuals with epilepsy. So far, no qualitative study has investigated the complex effects of psychotherapeutic interventions in epilepsy. This study examined the questions as to if and how the participation in a patient-centered 6-month resource-oriented mindfulness-based intervention would enhance an individual's well-being and sense of self-efficacy. Pre- and post-intervention semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 9 participants. Qualitative data analysis (Mayring) in an inter-professional group was combined with the evaluation of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31. The case reports follow the CAse REport Guidelines for Anthroposophic Art Therapies (CARE-AAT). To show the diverse nature of individual intervention objectives, we chose the single case study format, contrasting 2 participants with diagnosed focal epilepsy. Pre-intervention deductive and inductive outcome categories revealed high levels of stress regarding personal seizure experience and loss of autonomy, for both participants. Post-intervention interviews consist of increased seizure-related self-efficacy and self-awareness: while minimizing the debilitating impact of the seizures on her life was relevant to Iris, Carl developed a personalized aura interruption technique. These qualitative case analyses suggest that enhanced psychological well-being and even positive medical results may be achieved when epilepsy care focuses on the wishes that are most meaningful to the individual. The possibility of improving the quantitative evaluation of the effects of psychotherapeutic interventions needs to be explored.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.