Does attitude toward epilepsy mediate the relationship between perceived stigma and mental health outcomes in children with epilepsy?

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which children's attitude toward epilepsy mediates the relationship between perceived stigma and the mental health outcomes of self-concept, behavioral problems, and social competence.

Method: Subjects were 173 youth aged 9-14 who had been diagnosed and treated for epilepsy for at least 6 months. A secondary data analysis from a larger study was completed to test if the children's attitude mediated the relationship between stigma and mental health outcomes using multiple regression.

Results: Children's attitude was found to mediate the relationships between stigma and self-concept and behavior problems, respectively. In contrast, attitude did not mediate the relationship between stigma and social competence.

Conclusions: Results suggest that enhancing a more positive attitude toward having epilepsy might help improve problems with poor self-concept or behavior problems, but might not influence social competence.