The association of perceived stigma, religiosity, and paranormal beliefs in parents of children with epilepsy

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between stigma perception, religiosity, and paranormal beliefs in parents of children with epilepsy. Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 103 parents of children with epilepsy registered at a state hospital in a city with middle socio-economic status located in southeastern Turkiye. The data were collected using descriptive information forms for parents and children with epilepsy, the Parent Stigma Scale, the Religious Attitude Scale, and the Paranormal Belief Scale. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, and Spearman's correlation analysis were used to assess the data. Results: The results of the study revealed that while 78.6 % of the parents were female, 59.2 % of the children with epilepsy were boys. Total mean scores of the participants were 18.48 +/- 4.84 in the Parent Stigma Scale, 51.73 +/- 14.15 in the Classical (Non-Religious) Paranormal Beliefs Dimension, and 33.89 +/- 6.55 in the Religious Attitude Scale. A weak positive correlation was found between total mean scores of the Parent Stigma Scale, the Paranormal Belief Scale and the Religious Attitude Scale (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between the mean scores of the Paranormal Belief Scale and the Religiosity Attitude Scale (p > 0.05). All of the three scales were positively correlated with the age of the parents and the duration of the illness (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that while the parents had high levels of stigma perception and religious attitudes, they had moderate attitudes toward paranormal beliefs. While no direct correlation was found between religious attitudes and paranormal beliefs, cognitive inclinations toward religion were negatively correlated with paranormal beliefs. Additionally, the parents who perceived a higher level of stigma were more likely to hold stronger religious attitudes and beliefs related to various aspects of paranormal events. In the light of these findings, it is recommended to design educational programs and information campaigns aimed at reducing social stigma and raising awareness about epilepsy in such a way as to take individual belief systems into considerations.