| Popis: |
Stress is a commonly reported seizure precipitant among individuals with epilepsy. Yet, the relationship between stress and seizure susceptibility remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional distress and lifetime seizure load in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) as well as the potential moderating effect of explanatory style on this relationship. Analyses were performed on data collected from 148 individuals with TLE. Scales 2 (Depression) and 7 (Psychasthenia) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI & MMPI-2) were used as a measure of emotional distress and explanatory style was measured using the Revised Optimism-Pessimism Scale (PSM-R). Overall, the results do not support the strong relationship between emotional distress and lifetime seizure load that was expected, and an interaction between emotional distress and explanatory style was not observed. However, there appears to be a significant relationship between Scale 2 and seizure load for those individuals with higher levels of intelligence. Interestingly, neither Scale 2 nor 7 significantly predicted seizure load in those individuals in the low IQ group. The results suggest that individuals with higher levels of intelligence may be more aware of the negative impact depressive symptoms are having on their life, resulting in higher levels of emotional distress and ultimately an increase in seizure frequency. |
