The Effects of Social Support on Self-efficacy and Self-management of Children Living With Epilepsy in Nairobi County

Abstract

Different types of studies have been conducted to explain epilepsy as a medical condition. However very few of them have concentrated on the psychological and social effects on people living with epilepsy (PWE). The study aimed at exploring the impact of social help on self-efficacy and self-management of children living with epilepsy (CWE) in the County of Nairobi. This systematic study was driven by a co-relational design to understand the connection between variables and to estimate to what extent social support affects self-efficacy and self-management among children living with epilepsy. The research used standardized questionnaires and focused group conversations (FGD), involving both children with epilepsy (CWE) and children's parents/guardians living with epilepsy. A sample of 70 respondents was selected through purposive sampling. The level of social support was calculated using Child Study of Psychosocial Treatment Scale ((Austin, Dunn, Huster, & Rose, 1998), while the level of seizure control self-efficacy was calculated with the “Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children (SSES-C)”, by Caplin, D., Austin, J. K., Dunn, D. W., Shen, J., & Perkins, S. (2002). Study results suggest that social support has had a statistically beneficial impact on children living with epilepsy. This study demonstrates that the treatment of epilepsy should not only focus on the administration and adherence to anticonvulsant medication but better results can be achieved through a holistic approach. This means treating the ‘whole person’ which includes addressing the economic, social, and psychological needs of the patient, would be an effective intervention.