Purpose

1. Socialization Patterns in Epilepsy Patients Paola Bailey, PsyD, Olgica Laban-Grant, MD, Martin Lancman, MA, Lorna Myers, PhD, Marcelo Lancman, MD Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group • Results • Demographics of the respondents are: 32% were 50+ years old, while the second largest group (18%) were between 28-35 years old.  The majority of participants were single (38%), followed closely by married participants (36%).  With regard to working status, 32% or participants reported being currently employed (either full or part time employment), 9% reported not being well enough to work, 5% reported being students, and 3% were homemakers (the remainder were either not working or could not find employment). The majority of participants reported living with a partner or spouse (36%), with the second largest portion of participants (11%) reported living alone. • 55% of all participants reported feeling limited in their ability to socialize, while 45% reported not feeling limited in their ability to socialize. • Of those participants who reported being limited in their ability to socialize, the most commonly cited factors preventing them from socializing were: not being able to drive (17%), medication side effects (9%), social stigma (5%), and inability to drink (4%). The remainder of participants cited “other” factors as most limiting in their ability to socialize. • Despite reporting limitations in socialization, 63 % of participants reported speaking on phone with friends or relatives on a daily basis, 69% see relatives weekly, 68% see friends weekly, and 50% of those who work report socializing with workmates. • With regard to computer use, the majority of participants (52%) reported using the computer on at least a weekly basis, yet as high as 25% reported either not having access to or possessing the skills necessary to use a computer. • Of the participants who do use the computer regularly, the majority (56%) reported not using it to socialize. Of the remaining 44% who do socialize on the computer, 30% report using Facebook, 10% use Twitter, 4% use epilepsy blogs, and 3% each regularly use epilepsy chatrooms and epilepsy forums. • Purpose • Epilepsy causes a significant burden to patients with regard to their health as well as psychosocial functioning. • Some researchers have suggested that social factors, in addition to seizure frequency, can correlate to quality of life. • Data also suggests that people with epilepsy tend to report lower levels of social support and activity than the general population. • This study aimed to examine the self-reported use of various socialization mediums (computer based and otherwise) as well as perceived social barriers amongst adult patients diagnosed with epilepsy. • Discussion • These results show that despite the plethora of technological social mediums that appeared in recent years, most adults with epilepsy continue to engage in more “personal” forms of socializing. • A significant finding that may play a role in this is that one quarter of our sample did not have access or know how to use a computer. • This information allows epilepsy treatment centers to better understand patient’s socialization needs and social preferences when communicating with and designing effective models of social support and advocacy. • Methods • A questionnaire was designed to assess preferences in socialization practices, frequency of interpersonal contact, use of social media, and perceived barriers to socialization. • This questionnaire was given to all adult patients in our practice as part of their routine intake packet and was completed by a total of 1010 adult participants. • Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.