The impact of attitudes regarding diseases of epilepsy patients on mental health and quality of life

Aim: Research, evaluation of mental health patients who have been diagnosed with epilepsy, evaluation of their attitudes about epilepsy and is aimed to investigate the relationship of the quality of life. Material and Method: The study was carried out between April 2015 and August 2018 in descriptive and cross-sectional type in the neurology clinic of Manisa Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital. The sample of the study consisted of 182 patients. Data were collected using descriptive information form for epilepsy patients, Epilepsy Effect Scale, Epilepsy Information Inventory, Epilepsy Attitude Inventory, Short Form-36 (Life Quality Scale), Brief Symptom Inventory. SPSS 21 software was used for data analysis. In the analysis of the data, t test, Anova, Scheffe post hoc test, Pearson correlation analysis were used. Findings: The average age of the individuals participating in the survey is 36,39 ± 13,44. 54.9% of participants were women, 46.7% are working, 84.6% think his or her life stressful, 68.7% are regularly attends to the controls, 35.2% have a disease other than epilepsy, 83.5% of them get support to deal with the disease. Participants' epilepsy attitude scale score was calculated to be 48.66 ± 13.13 and their attitudes were negative. Participants' scores on the subscale of the quality of life scale were low. The quality of life of epileptic patients with a high level of positive attitude about epilepsy is high. Psychological statements of epileptic patients with positive attitudes related epilepsy are decreasing. Results: It has been determined that epileptic patients who perceive epilepsy as negative at high level have decreased quality of life and increased psychological symptoms. It was determined that psychological symptoms of epileptic patients with a high level of life quality perception decreased. Key words: Epilepsy, quality of life, attitude, psychological symptom, nurse.