Depression and quality of life among African Americans with epilepsy: Findings from the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network integrated database

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Robin McGee, Emory University; Martha Sajatovic, Case Western Reserve University; Rakale Quarells, Emory University; Erika K. Johnson, University of Washington; Hongyan Liu, Case Western Reserve University; Tanya M. Spruill, New York University; Robert T. Fraser, University of Washington; Mary Janevic, University of Michigan; Ngoc-Cam Escoffery, Emory University; Nancy Thompson, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-05-01
• Publisher: Academic Press Inc.
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.02.026
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Epilepsy & Behavior
• Volume: 94
• Start Page: 301
• End Page: 306
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant: #U48DP005042.
• Keywords: Health; Clinical Neurology; Distance delivery; Prevalence; Racial differences; Behavioral Sciences; Science & Technology; Quality of life; Epilepsy; Reported epilepsy; Anxiety; People; Coping strategies; Neurosciences & Neurology; African Americans; Psychiatry; United States; Self management; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Depression
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Mental Health; Biology, Neuroscience

Abstract

Depression and worse quality of life (QOL) are significantly associated with epilepsy. However, limited descriptive data on depression and quality of life among African Americans with epilepsy are available. This study sought to describe the prevalence of depression among African Americans with epilepsy participating in self-management studies and to examine the relationship between depression and QOL. Using data from the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) research network, a subgroup of African Americans with epilepsy were selected for the analytic sample. Descriptive statistics indicated the prevalence of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) and reports of epilepsy-specific QOL (Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 [QOLIE-10]) in the sample. Multiple linear regression examined the relationship between depression and QOL while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and seizure frequency. The prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 ≥; 10) was 47.7%. Quality of life was the only variable significantly associated with depressive symptoms in multivariable analyses, suggesting that depressive symptoms have a stronger relationship with QOL than seizure frequency. With the high levels of depression and the significant relationship with QOL, regular screening of depression is needed among African Americans with epilepsy. Self-management programs that improve mood may also play an important role in improving the lives of African Americans with epilepsy.