Avaliação do conhecimento e do estigma diante da epilepsia entre estudantes de Medicina de uma instituição de ensino brasileira: um estudo piloto

Pedro Antonio Cunha Campos; Laura Galvão Tavares; Maria Alice Horta Bicalho; Luiza Paixão De Oliveira

Authors

Pedro Antonio Cunha Campos Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais (FCMMG) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9124-9658
Laura Galvão Tavares Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9632-1276
Maria Alice Horta Bicalho https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6292-9966
Luiza Paixão De Oliveira https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2069-7381

Keywords:

Epilepsy, Neurology, Knowledge, Social Stigma, Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide. Despite its epidemiological relevance,
it still carries a considerable stigma, severely impacting patients’ quality of life. The literature demonstrates that
such stigma is reproduced even among medical students. Objectives: To assess, through a questionnaire, the
level of knowledge and the presence of stigma regarding epilepsy among medical students from a private educational institution. Methods: This was a pilot, cross-sectional study, conducted using an online questionnaire
developed from previously validated instruments in Brazil. Eligible participants included medical students over
18 years of age enrolled at the institution of interest. Results: A total of 179 students participated, distributed
across the preclinical (n=69), clinical (n=53), and internship (n=57) stages. The data collection period had to be
extended due to low adherence, attributed to the questionnaire length. Stigma was identified in 63%, predominantly among students in the preclinical stage (44%). Moreover, a significant association was found between
lower knowledge levels and the presence of stigma (p=0.017). Notably, 22% of students considered epilepsy to
be a symptom of mental illness, 11% deemed it appropriate to introduce objects into the oral cavity during a
seizure, and 6.7% reported they would not marry someone with epilepsy. Conclusion: The findings reveal a
significant lack of knowledge about epilepsy among medical students, which was associated with higher levels
of stigma in this sample. Further studies with larger samples are necessary to validate these results, potentially
requiring a reduction in the number of questions included in the questionnaire.

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