Adverse early-life experiences and epileptic seizures: the role of emotional dysregulation

Introduction: There is clear evidence that adverse early-life experiences can lead to emotional dysregulation, significantly impairing individuals' quality of life. However, how these factors interact with each other in epileptic patients (Eps) has not yet been clarified. Methods: In this study, 89 individuals diagnosed with epilepsy completed standardized surveys, including the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). A hierarchical multiple linear regression was run to determine the role of factors that were significant at a p ≤ .05 significance level in Pearson correlations in predicting the impact of seizures on quality of life. Subsequently, a mediation analysis was conducted. Results: The Strategies subscale of the DERS was found to mediate the relationship between the impact of epileptic seizures on quality of life and adverse early-life experiences. Discussion: These results showed that early-life adversities and lack of confidence in regulating emotions play a key role in the quality of life of Eps. These findings – albeit preliminary – may have clinical implications, guiding the psychological intervention programs that could be combined with medical treatments to mitigate emotion dysregulation and the consequences of early adverse experiences, as well as to improve the impact of epilepsy on quality of life.