The impact of social support on health related quality of life in persons with epilepsy

Previous studies have found that psychosocial factors have the greatest impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Social support can buffer the negative impact of stressful events and chronic health conditions. To date, no population studies have examined the association between social support and epilepsy. In the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), four questions were used to assess social support. A set of survey weight-adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted with self-rated health status as the outcome. In those regression models, we examined the effect of epilepsy status, social support, and their interactions, after controlling for demographics. Analyses examining the interaction between epilepsy and social support showed a significant interaction between epilepsy and “availability of someone to love you and make you feel wanted.” Once demographics were controlled for, persons without epilepsy and poor affectionate support reported fair/poor self-rated health status (odds ratio = 1.7). Persons with epilepsy and good affectionate support also reported fair/poor self-rated health status (odds ratio = 3.3). Persons with epilepsy and poor affectionate support were the most likely to report fair/poor self-rated health status (odds ratio = 9.1). Persons with epilepsy need encouragement to actively seek and sustain supportive personal relationships that may help improve their quality of life.