Date of Conferral

12-12-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Jennifer Oliphant

Abstract

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES) is an important individual and public health concern, but inconsistent results exist in the literature in terms of the circumstances surrounding the initial occurrence of PNES among patients without a prior diagnosis of epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent patient sex, number of medical comorbidities, sleep deprivation, head injury in the past, and eyes closed during seizures predict initial PNES among patients with or without PNES. The precaution adoption process model provided a framework for exploring how individuals become aware of health risks and decide to adopt preventive behaviors. Secondary data from the University of California, Los Angeles adult video-electroencephalograph facility were analyzed using logistic regression to determine the predictive value of these factors in the onset of PNES. The results revealed that PNES patients with depression at 0.51 [0.38, 0.64] sensitivity (95% CI) and 0.73 [0.63, 0.82] specificity (95% CI), anxiety disorder at 0.51 [0.38, 0.64] sensitivity (95% CI) and 0.78 [0.69, 0.86] specificity (95% CI), panic disorder at 0.25 [0.14, 0.37] sensitivity (95% CI) and 0.91[0.84, 0.96] specificity (95% CI), traumatic experience and family history of seizure disorder 0.31 [0.20, 0.44] sensitivity (95% CI) and 0.85 [0.76, 0.92] specificity (95% CI). To promote positive health outcomes and prevent disease, it is important to devise optimal intervention programs that incorporate factors associated with initial PNES among patients with or without a history of epileptic seizures.

Download

Included in

Philosophy Commons

Share

 
COinS