The stigma paradox: Perception of quality-of-life in people with epilepsy among themselves, the family, and the general population in Indonesian urban areas

Objective: To understand quality of life (QoL) perceptions of people with epilepsy (PWE) through knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB); PWE; their families (PWEf); and the general population (GPop). Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Jakarta and its surrounding cities from January to December 2019. PWE were recruited from outpatient clinics. PWEf were caregivers who lived with PWE. GPop were age matched, randomly selected, and interviewed for public events. The perception of QoL was scaled from 1 to 5 (1 =very poor to 5 =very good). KAB was obtained from open- and closed-ended questionnaires, scaled from 1 to 5 (1 =strongly disagree to 5 =strongly agree). The differences in each group were analyzed using t-tests and analysis of variance. Results: We interviewed 371 participants, predominantly female and senior high school graduates. Unemployment and singlehood were higher in PWEs. QoL perception in PWE was similar to GPop (3.01 [0.75] vs. 3.07 [0.76], p = 0.49), yet lower in PWEf (2.78 [0.76]; p < 0.05). According to PWE and PWEf, not being stigmatized and support from family were essential, while GPop emphasized the medical perspective. Overall, the knowledge section had the lowest score and behavior had the highest. The GPop was uncertain about the cause of epilepsy in K2 (3.73 [1.05]), K4 (3.35 [1.24]), and K7 (2.93 [1.08]); p < 0.001. Despite positive behavior, GPop were unwilling to marry (B4) nor had PWE as their in-laws (B5); (2.83 [0.73] and 2.78 [0.77]; p < 0.001). Moreover, PWEf were still doubtful about GPop's acceptance (B1) (3.86 [0.38] vs 4.00 [0.40]; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The perception of QoL in PWE did not seem to be directly associated with KAB. Despite similar knowledge of PWE and PWEf, better perceptions came from PWE and GPop. The reluctance to form deeper bonds between GPop and PWE, along with PWEf's skepticism, could lead to low self-esteem, unemployment, and unmarried rates. Further studies are required to elaborate on these issues.