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UNDERSTANDING MARIJUANA USE AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY: USE, ATTITUDES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE
Title
UNDERSTANDING MARIJUANA USE AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY: USE, ATTITUDES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE
Creator
Johnson, Kristina
Date
2021
Description
Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder worldwide with a heterogeneous range of negative symptoms. Current treatments for epilepsy...
Show moreEpilepsy is the most common neurological disorder worldwide with a heterogeneous range of negative symptoms. Current treatments for epilepsy have side effects that can negatively impact the quality of a person’s life. Alternative treatments are being explored, including marijuana. This study aimed to understand marijuana use in adults with epilepsy across U.S. states. Rates of use, preferred method of use, and reasons to use and not use marijuana were examined. Additionally, levels of comfort discussing marijuana compared to other treatment options and with different types of providers were explored. Lastly, this was one of the first studies to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and marijuana use for people with epilepsy. Participants included 128 individuals with epilepsy from 26 states, with non-legal states having significantly fewer people who reported using marijuana. Smoking was reported as the primary method of use, knowing someone else that uses as their primary reason for using, and health concerns as the primary reason not to use. There was no difference in level of comfort discussing marijuana compared to other treatments, and participants reported feeling most comfortable discussing marijuana with neurologists compared to other providers. Finally, total QOLIE-31 and the social functioning subscale were significantly lower among marijuana users; however, this difference did not remain when anxiety was entered as a covariate. In fact, the relationship between anxiety and QOL was significant, with anxiety accounting for η2 = .12 to η2 = .57 of the variance in QOLIE-31 subscale scores, controlling for marijuana use. Findings from this study further the understanding of marijuana use by people with epilepsy in the United States.
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MEDIATORS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN SURVIVORS WITH BRAIN INJURY
Title
MEDIATORS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN SURVIVORS WITH BRAIN INJURY
Creator
Johnson, Kristina S.
Date
2017, 2017-07
Description
Injury to the brain can range in cause, severity, and outcomes. Individuals with brain injury may experience both physical and cognitive...
Show moreInjury to the brain can range in cause, severity, and outcomes. Individuals with brain injury may experience both physical and cognitive impairments. Not only can a patient experience a wide range of symptoms, these symptoms also can vary drastically in severity. Research has shown that these symptoms play a role in a person’s quality of life following injury: the worse a person’s symptoms are, the lower they report their quality of life. However, recent research suggests that psychosocial factors may mediate the relationships between disability severity and quality of life across multiple rehabilitation populations. Two of the previously researched psychosocial constructs include social support and a sense of mastery over the disability or disease. The purpose of this study was to examine a structural model hypothesizing the mediating role of these two constructs on the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life among adults with brain injury. Participants in this study included 183 individuals with brain injury recruited through state brain injury organizations across the United States to participate in an online survey study. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), results demonstrated good model fit. (χ2(15, n = 183) = 13.68). Normed Bentler-Bonnet fit index (NFI) was .97; Goodness-of-Fit statistic (GFI) was .98; Adjusted-goodness-of-fit (AGFI) was .96; and Comparative fit index (CFI) was 1.00 (indices exceeding .90 indicate acceptable fit). Examination of the direct effects showed that perceived social support and sense of mastery are negatively associated with symptom severity (-.19 and -.66 respectively). Additionally, perceived social support was positively associated with mastery (.30). Both mastery and social support were moderately related to quality of life (.46 and .53, respectively). Rmediation analysis revealed perceived social support and mastery fully mediate the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life. Additionally, mastery partially mediated the relationship between social support and quality of life. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating these psychosocial factors into clinical interventions with hopes of increasing levels of perceived social support and mastery, and ultimately promoting quality of life. Further research is needed to explore the best strategies to increase support and mastery within the brain injury population and to identify additional psychosocial factors that may be mediators of quality of life.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
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