THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXPERIENCE AND ATTITUDES CONCERNING EPILEPSY

Research indicates that epilepsy is a misunderstood and stigmatizing d isorder. The present study examined whether various levels and types o f experience with epilepsy are related to attitudes about the disorder . It was hypothesized that certain types of direct experience with epi lepsy (e.g., knowing people with epilepsy) are related to positive att itudes about the disorder, whereas other types of direct experience (e .g., witnessing seizures) are related to negative beliefs. As predicte d, data from telephone interviews with 271 subjects indicate that indi viduals knowing someone with epilepsy held significantly more acceptin g attitudes than respondents who had never known an epileptic. The fin dings also suggest that witnessing epileptic seizures is an emotionall y charged event, and, in the absence of other types of experience, thi s emotional impact might have a negative effect on attitudes toward pe ople with epilepsy. The findings from this study have implications for the development of educational programs aimed at the general public, medical personnel, and people with epilepsy.