Perceived stress, resilience, and stress coping in patients with drug resistant epilepsy and functional dissociative seizures

GARGIULO, ÁNGEL JM; SARUDIANSKY, MERCEDES; VIDELA, ALEJANDRO; LOMBARDI, NICOLÁS; KORMAN, GUIDO P; ODDO, SILVIA; D´ALESSIO, LUCIANA

SEIZURE : THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH EPILEPSY ASSOCIATION.

W B SAUNDERS CO LTD

Año: 2022 vol. 101 p. 141 - 148

1059-1311

Purpose: Depression and anxiety are psychiatric disorders related to chronic stress, commonly found in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and functional dissociative seizures (FDS). The present study compares the levels of perceived stress, resilience, and the styles of stress coping among patients with DRE (n=60), FDS (n=28), and controls (n=31). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study. All patients underwent Video Electroencephalography to confirm the diagnosis and completed the psychiatric assessment (SCID I and II of DSM IV) supported by several instruments validated in Spanish. Results: FDS scored higher in perceived stress (p = 0.004) with lower levels of resilience compared to controls (p = 0.01). Stress coping subscales show higher scores in negative self-focus and hostility in patients with FDS compared to controls (p=0.003). Similarly, DRE patients scored higher in perceived stress (p = 0.001), and presented lower levels of resilience (p = 0.004) with higher levels of hostility compared to controls (p=0.02). However, no significant differences were found between FDS and DRE on stress coping variables. Anxiety scores and depression rates were higher in the FDS group compared to DRE (p=0.008) and higher in DRE compared to controls (p