Life fulfillment in an epilepsy sample from the United States

This study examined the life fulfillment of a sample of 420 people with epilepsy drawn from affiliates of the Epilepsy Foundation of America in various urban and rural regions of the United States and also a private clinic. At the time of the study, all respondents were attending hospital outpatient neurological or epilepsy clinics for treatment, monitoring or advice. Life fulfillment was operationalized in terms of the discrepancy between people's desired and actual circumstances, and the scale developed for the research covered the following life domains: family and social relationships; leisure; worries; material security; employment. The findings revealed that the respondents were most fulfilled in the areas of family/social relationships, getting help with problems, leisure and housing. Health concerns seemed to be the prime source of non-fulfillment, with employment, marriage and money also appearing problematic. When factors associated with variations in overall life fulfillment were examined, unemployment, seizure predictability, polytherapy and living with a spouse/partner seemed to be of particular significance. The study findings are discussed and the need to pursue medical and vocational goals alongside each other in intervention strategies is emphasized.