Family coping with epilepsy

Abstract

Introduction: the family confrontation to the epilepsy refers to the group behavior relatively stable that exhibits a family in connection with the presence of this illness in one of its members. Objective: to describe the characteristics from the family coping with epilepsy. Methods: this is a descriptive investigation of traverse court in patients that suffer it assisted in the consultation multidisciplinary of Epileptology of the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana 2005-2007. For the collection of the information the Scale of Family History of Washington Psichosocial Inventory (HFS-WPSI) and the Test of evaluation of the relationships interfamily (FF-SIL) was applied to patients. We also apply the not structured interview to a key informant of the family group of the patient's coexistence. Results: although most of the studied patients referred a family acceptable adaptation to their illness, a prevalence of non functional families was obtained. The category positive "Positive valuation of the family too much protection" constituted the qualitative fact of more relevance in the analysis of content of the Interview to a key informant of the family group. Conclusions: the epileptic patients perceive the presence of problems in their family history, although the meaning attribution varies between a limited one and a clearing impact for the family adaptation, that which can be an indicative of the idealization of the family in the childhood. The relationships inside the family of current coexistence are perceived dysfunctional, what is expressed through the difficulties in the execution of the lists, the harmony and the communication.