Spontaneous strategies for psychological control of seizures

The present research explored the strategies individuals with epilepsy use to manage seizure activity by using a survey method (n=105). Analysis suggests that participants' strategies are more likely cognitive or behavioral in nature, rather than emotional. Furthermore, strategy usage varied by whether participants experienced a global perception or an immediate perception of seizure susceptibility. Cognitive strategies were more likely used in response to immediate awareness of seizure risk (p<.01), whereas behavioral strategies corresponded to a global awareness of risk, though this finding did not quite reach significance (p=.06). The present research 1) provides new information regarding the relationship between awareness of seizure susceptibility and strategy use by individuals with epilepsy to manage seizure activity and 2) developed two new scales (Cognitive, Behavior, & Emotional Strategies for Seizure Control Scale and Perception of Seizure Control Scale) for future research and clinical use.