Authors
Dominique Tanner, Daniel Friedman
Published in
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B. Volume 184. Pages 111219. Aug 09, 2026. Epub Aug 09, 2026.
Abstract
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in the United States that disproportionately affects African Americans. Religious and spiritual practices are important coping mechanisms that may influence health beliefs and healthcare decisions, yet their influence on epilepsy outcomes in this population remains understudied. This narrative review examines how religious and spiritual practices contribute to health decision making behaviors among African Americans living with epilepsy. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, Connected Papers, and the New York University Library system, focusing on religiosity and spirituality in chronic illness, epilepsy outcomes, racial disparities, stigma in faith-based settings, and church-based health interventions. Across the reviewed literature, findings showed that religiosity and spirituality were associated with coping, finding purpose, social support, and quality of life. In epilepsy-specific studies, positive religious and spiritual coping associated with better well-being, lower anxiety and depressive symptoms, and higher quality of life, while negative religious coping was associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes. Direct evidence among African Americans with epilepsy was limited; however, available findings suggest that Black patients relied more on religion, emotional support, positive reframing, and denial as coping strategies compared to White patients. Overall, this review highlights the need to better understand how African Americans with epilepsy use religious and spiritual frameworks to manage living with a chronic neurological condition.
PMID:
42571738
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Aug 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 4
- Comments 0