Examination of the Level of Tolerance of Uncertainty and Psychological Wellness of Patients With Epilepsy

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the level of intolerance of uncertainty and the psychological well-being of patients with epilepsy (PWE).Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 201 patients in a university hos-pital in Van, which is a province in eastern Turkey. Personal information form, intolerance of uncertainty scale, and the psychological well-being scale were prepared by the researcher in line with the literature and used to collect data. An independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), post hoc (Tukey, LSD), correlation, and regression analyses were used to analyze the data.Results: In this study, the mean total score of PWE for the intolerance to uncertainty scale was found as 37.144 +/- 9.202. Among the sub-dimensions, the mean prospective anxiety score was found as 21.821 +/- 5. 416 and the mean inhibitory anxiety score was 15.323 +/- 4.695. The mean total score of the psychological well-being scale was found as 28.975 +/- 6.622. It was determined that there was a significant relationship between the total score of the intolerance of uncertainty scale and the total score of the psychological well-being scale of the PWE who participated in the study (F = 14.314; p = 0.000 < 0.05). It was observed that the total score of intolerance of uncertainty was decreased as the total level of psychological well-being was increased (ss =-0.186).Conclusion: It was found that PWE had higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty and lower levels of psy-chological well-being. It was also determined that the total score of psychological well-being was decreased as the total score of intolerance of uncertainty was increased.Recommendations: For preventing the negative consequences of intolerance of uncertainty in PWE, it is recommended to inform nurses to increase the level of psychological well-being as a result of raising awareness about their concerns by conducting studies to increase the level of intolerance to uncertainty.It is also recommended to carry out studies on intolerance of uncertainty and psychological well-being in advanced and larger sample groups. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.