Department of Mental Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 43, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Adult Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 43, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Seizure. 2019 Dec;73:21-25. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2019.10.016. Epub 2019 Oct 31.
The study aimed at describing the beliefs that People Living with Epilepsy (PLWE) have about the disease.
A descriptive-exploratory qualitative design was employed to guide the study. Thirteen (13) participants living with epilepsy in the Accra Metropolis were purposively sampled. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted and data were analysed using the content analysis approach.
The themes that emerged from the data were beliefs about signs and symptoms, causes, consequences and beliefs about cure and control of epilepsy. Participants believed epilepsy was a disgraceful illness. Most participants believed epilepsy was due to spiritual causes. Seizures resulted in injuries and were believed to have affected the education, work and relationships of the PLWE.
The results suggest that the false beliefs about the causes of epilepsy were an indication of knowledge gap on the causes of epilepsy among the PLWE. Health care professionals should intensify health education campaigns on epilepsy to demystify traditional beliefs about epilepsy and promote greater understanding and acceptance of PLWE.
本研究旨在描述癫痫患者（PLWE）对疾病的信念。
本研究采用描述性-探索性定性设计。在阿克拉大都市，通过目的性抽样选择了 13 名患有癫痫的参与者。采用面对面的深入访谈收集数据，并采用内容分析法进行分析。
从数据中出现的主题包括对症状和体征、原因、后果以及对癫痫治疗和控制的信念。参与者认为癫痫是一种可耻的疾病。大多数参与者认为癫痫是由精神原因引起的。癫痫发作会导致受伤，据信会影响 PLWE 的教育、工作和人际关系。
研究结果表明，对癫痫病因的错误信念表明 PLWE 对癫痫病因的知识存在差距。医疗保健专业人员应加强癫痫健康教育运动，揭开癫痫的传统观念，促进对 PLWE 的更多理解和接受。
