Coping experiences in individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy and functional/dissociative seizures: A qualitative study
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and functional/dissociative seizures (FDS) face multiple social, economic, and psychological difficulties. Coping is central to adaptation and psychological well-being in chronic health conditions. This study explores and describes the coping strategies of patients with DRE and FDS from Buenos Aires, Argentina. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies in Latin America to pursue this objective. A qualitative exploratory design was used for this study. Eight adult participants (four with DRE and four with FDS), aged 33–56 years, were recruited from the J.M. Ramos Mejía Hospital between 2021 and 2023. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, based on the McGill Illness Narrative Interview, and analyzed using thematic analysis principles to capture patients’ experiences. Four coping strategies were identified from the analysis. First, both groups perceived social support from relatives and friends through emotional and practical assistance. Second, religiosity provided meaning, hope, and emotional relief through faith and religious practices. Third, participants reported seeking distraction as a way to distance themselves from intrusive negative thoughts. Finally, engaging in meaningful daily activities promoted autonomy and improved mood. This study offers a preliminary exploration and contributes to understanding the coping strategies of patients with DRE and FDS in Argentina. These strategies were perceived as valuable for managing the challenges and consequences of their seizures. Understanding these narratives enhances the professional–patient relationship and provides a more comprehensive perspective on living with seizures.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.005 | 0.006 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.005 | 0.004 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.003 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".