Psychological Inflexibility and Somatisation in Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder

Cullingham, Tasha and Kirkby, Antonia and Eccles, Fiona and Sellwood, Bill (2020) Psychological Inflexibility and Somatisation in Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder. Epilepsy and Behavior, 111: 107155. ISSN 1525-5050

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Abstract

Background There is no clear understanding of what causes and maintains nonepileptic attack (NEA) disorder (NEAD), or which psychological therapies may be helpful. The relationships between variables of psychological inflexibility: experiential avoidance (EA), cognitive fusion (CF), mindfulness, and key outcome variables in NEAD: somatization, impact upon life, and NEA frequency were investigated. Method Two hundred eighty-five individuals with NEAD completed validated measures online. Linear regression was used to explore which variables predicted somatization and impact upon life. Ordinal regression was used to explore variables of interest in regard to NEA frequency. Results Mindfulness, EA, CF, somatization, and impact upon life were all significantly correlated. Mindfulness uniquely predicted somatization when considered in a model with EA and CF. Higher levels of somatization increased the odds of experiencing more NEAs. Individuals who perceived NEAD as having a more significant impact upon their lives had more NEAs, more somatic complaints, and more EA. Conclusions Higher levels of CF and EA appear to be related to lower levels of mindfulness. Lower levels of mindfulness predicted greater levels of somatization, and somatization predicted NEA frequency. Interventions that tackle avoidance and increase mindfulness, such as, acceptance and commitment therapy, may be beneficial for individuals with NEAD. Future directions for research are suggested as the results indicate more research is needed.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Journal or Publication Title:

Epilepsy and Behavior

Additional Information:

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Epilepsy and Behavior. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Epilepsy and Behavior, 111, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107155

Uncontrolled Keywords:

/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2728

Subjects:

?? nonepileptic attack disorderpsychogenic nonepileptic seizuressomatizationexperiential avoidancecognitive fusionmindfulnessclinical neurologybehavioral neuroscienceneurology ??

Departments:

Faculty of Health and Medicine > Health Research

ID Code:

143624

Deposited By:

ep_importer_pure

Deposited On:

28 Apr 2020 13:35

Refereed?:

Yes

Published?:

Published

Last Modified:

19 Sep 2024 08:55

URI:

https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/143624