Racial differences in coping strategies among individuals with epilepsy

•African-Americans with epilepsy employ different coping strategies from Caucasians.•African-Americans with epilepsy utilize more engagement-type coping strategies.•African-Americans with epilepsy utilize more denial than Caucasians.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine whether racial differences exist in the coping styles of individuals with epilepsy.MethodsThis study utilized a survey of patients with epilepsy, including the Brief-COPE.ResultsOne hundred thirteen Caucasians and 70 African-Americans comprised the study population. On univariate analysis, annual household income (p < 0.01), receiving disability benefits (p < 0.01), and number of AEDs being currently used (p = 0.04) significantly distinguished Caucasians from African-Americans. African-Americans reported higher utilization of religion (p < 0.01), denial (p < 0.01), emotional support (p = 0.02), positive reframing (p < 0.01), and planning (p < 0.01) as coping reactions compared to Caucasians. Using ordinal logistic regression, the association between being African-American and the higher utilization of religion, positive reframing, planning, and denial as coping strategies remained statistically significant.ConclusionAmong individuals with epilepsy, African-Americans appear to utilize more engagement-type coping reactions when compared to Caucasians but also utilize more denial.