The mediating role of social support in the relationship between psychosocial problems and sleep patterns of adolescents with epilepsy

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the mediating role of social support in the relationship between psychosocial problems of adolescents with epilepsy and their sleep patterns. Methods: The data were collected with Adolescent Information Form, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in this descriptive and correlational study. The mediating role of multidimensional social support that children with epilepsy received with the Process Macro program was examined in the relationship between their psychosocial problems and their sleep status. Process model 4 was used and analysis was made based on the Bootstrap method. Results: As a result of the analysis, it was found that the participants had been diagnosed with epilepsy for a mean of 6.0 +/- 1.61 years and had a mean of 3.1 +/- 2.48 seizures per week. It was found that the sleep problems experienced by adolescents with epilepsy affected their psychosocial health and this effect was at the level of 84 % (beta = 0.933; p < 0.001). The effect of perceived social support on the dependent variable sleep disturbance in adolescents with epilepsy was found to be statistically significant (beta = -0.540; p < 0.001). It was determined that the Psychosocial Health Status score of adolescents diagnosed with epilepsy explained 87 % of the change in sleep disturbance experienced with perceived social support (p < 0.001). The effect of social support perceived by adolescents with epilepsy on sleep disturbance was found to be statistically significant. Perceived social support has no effect on the psychosocial problems they experience. Conclusions: It was found that social support was not a mediator in the relationship between psychosocial problems of adolescents with epilepsy and their sleep status.