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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Attitudes: Explicit and Implicit Attitudes
Parental Knoweldge, Attitude, and Perception about Epilepsy and Sociocultural Barriers to Treatment
Akanksha Rani1, Priya Treesa Thomas1
1Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India.
Insights
Parental understanding of epilepsy is crucial for overcoming cultural barriers to treatment. Many parents hold misconceptions, attributing seizures to supernatural causes and seeking traditional remedies, hindering effective care.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Epilepsy is a neurological disorder with significant socio-cultural implications.
- Parental knowledge and attitudes profoundly influence treatment adherence and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding childhood epilepsy.
- To identify socio-cultural barriers affecting epilepsy treatment in South India.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 60 parents of children (4-15 years) with epilepsy at a tertiary referral center in South India.
- Data collection included socio-demographic and clinical profiles, and a knowledge, attitude, and perception questionnaire.
- Exploration of psychosocial interventions through case studies.
Main Results:
- Parents exhibited misconceptions, with 37.7% attributing seizures to evil spirits and 52.5% to mental illness.
- A significant majority (72.1%) initially sought religio-spiritual or traditional treatments.
- 91.8% of parents engaged in practices like visiting holy places for their child's recovery.
Conclusions:
- Raising public awareness about epilepsy is vital to dismantle socio-cultural barriers.
- Improving parental understanding can enhance help-seeking behaviors and treatment adherence.
Background And Purpose:
The present study focused on assessing parental knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about epilepsy as well as addressing the socio-cultural barriers to its treatment.
Methods:
Data were collected from out-patient consultations in the neurology department of a tertiary referral center in South India. Parents of sixty children suffering from epilepsy in the age-group of 4-15 years were interviewed to explore their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about epilepsy. They were recruited in 2015 over a consecutive period of six months. The tools administered were: socio-demographic schedule; clinical profile; a knowledge, attitude, and perception questionnaire prepared by the researcher; and a few case studies with psychosocial interventions.
Results:
The mean age of the parents who brought their children to the hospital was 37.2 years, with 71.7% being male, of which, 36% were educated up to secondary/intermediate level and were of lower socio-economic status. The mean age of the children with epilepsy was 8.4 years with 66.7% of them being male. Among them, 50% had the most commonly occurring generalized seizures and 26.7% had the co-morbid condition of cerebral palsy. Around 37.7% parents attributed the seizures to evil spirits or supernatural powers, 52.5% to mental illness, and 72.1% were influenced by their families to initially seek religio-spiritual or traditional treatment in desperation for a cure of the illness. In total, 91.8% of the parents visited holy places, made "mannats", or prayed in worship for hours for their child's recovery.
Conclusions:
Creating awareness about epilepsy is important to address the socio-cultural barriers to its treatment and improve help-seeking behavior.
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