Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://ahro.austin.org.au/austinjspui/handle/1/27168
Title: Understanding long-term changes in patient identity 15-20 years after surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy.
Austin Authors: Coleman, Honor;McIntosh, Anne M ;Rayner, Genevieve ;Wilson, Sarah J
Affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Clinical Neuropsychology
Department of Medicine, Melbourne Brain Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Epilepsy Research Centre
Issue Date: 6-Aug-2021
Date: 2021-08-06
Publication information: Epilepsia 2021; 62(10): 2451-2462
Abstract: Following epilepsy surgery, patients can experience complex psychosocial changes. We recently described a longer term adjustment and reframing ("meaning-making") process 15-20 years following surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy, which could involve an ongoing sense of being a "different" person for some patients. Here, we quantitatively examine identity at long-term follow-up and how this relates to meaning-making and postoperative seizure outcome. Eighty-seven participants were included: 39 who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) 15-20 years ago (59% female; median age = 49.2 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 10; median follow-up = 18.4 years, IQR = 4.4) and 48 surgically naïve focal epilepsy patients (56% female; median age = 34.5 years, IQR = 19). We captured approach to meaning-making by coding for key narrative features identified in our previous qualitative work. Nonparametric tests and correspondence analysis were then used to explore relationships between a quantitative measure of identity and meaning-making, as well as seizure outcome, mood, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patients 15-20 years post-ATL demonstrated a shift toward increasing identity commitment and exploration compared to the surgically naïve cohort, with this shift significantly linked to seizure outcome. Examining the relationship between identity and meaning-making also revealed three groups: (1) those who embraced self-change (29%), (2) those who continued to struggle with this process (60.5%), and (3) those who showed minimal engagement (10.5%). Those who "embraced change" were significantly younger at regular seizure onset and demonstrated a trend toward higher HRQOL. Findings suggest that ATL patients show a more developed identity profile compared to surgically naïve controls; however, the majority still struggled with postoperative identity change at long-term follow-up. Approximately one third of patients demonstrated positive psychological growth following surgery, reflected in the ability to embrace change. Findings highlight the importance of understanding the impact of surgery on patient identity to maximize the psychosocial benefits.
URI: https://ahro.austin.org.au/austinjspui/handle/1/27168
DOI: 10.1111/epi.17027
ORCID: 0000-0002-5532-9327
0000-0002-5020-260X
0000-0002-0747-3877
0000-0002-2678-1576
Journal: Epilepsia
PubMed URL: 34357592
Type: Journal Article
Subjects: HRQOL
identity
long-term outcomes
meaning-making
psychosocial outcomes
Appears in Collections:Journal articles

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