Community’s Beliefs towards Epilepsy and the Socio Cultural Challenges of the Epileptics: The Case Of Me’int Goldiya Woreda, Bench Maji Zone Snnpr, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder affecting peoples across the globe. The disease remains one of the public health problems, with its devastating social, cultural, psychological and economic burdens on substantial number of people affected by epilepsy. Thus, the study was conducted with the aim of examining communities’ beliefs towards epilepsy and the socio- cultural challenges of PWE in Me’int Goldiya Woreda of Benchi Maji Zone, SNNP’s region, Ethiopia. The study based on the constructivist paradigm, employed a phenomenological strategy to understand community’s beliefs towards epilepsy and PWE experiences of the phenomena. Data was collected via focus groups, interviews, and observations. Field notes were also collected during each interview. Data collected from each interview together with the researcher’s field notes were compared to identify themes. As the study findings indicate, Meint community attributed various reasons for etiological causes of epilepsy. Epilepsy as contagious, trans-generational, curse from God or evil spirit, asset transference (inheritance), magic and low obedience to traditional beliefs culturally known as Qolle defined as an indigenous traditional belief of the community whereby the followers worship their traditional ‘God’ maintaining different practices and making scarifies was considered as etiological factors for epilepsy. Moreover, inheritability/transferability of the property of passed away epileptic patient to other family members is prohibited by community since it is considered as passing the curse of the dead to other family members. Consequently, assets/ properties/ produced by passed away epileptic patients is immediately burnt according to their social norm. Further, non-epileptic community’s views towards people with epilepsy tended to be more negative in the study area. PWE were seen as physically weaker and less competent persons because of their tendency to seizures. In similar manner, non epileptic community occasionally discriminate epileptic victims for their poor sanitations and feeding habit. Even though, there is an inadequate health facility in the study area, the trend of communities in seeking modern medical care is poor. Rather than modern medicine, epileptic patients prefer traditional medicine for their sickness. Thus, firing matches and spiritual healing was the most preferred method of treatment for epilepsy since they believe that the disorder was a result of affliction by evil spirits In conclusion, as a result of wrong belief and miss information on etiological causes as well as community’s negative view towards epileptic victims, the patients suffered from limitations in social interaction as well as faced social discrimination that made the lives more difficult. Based on study findings, the belief of the community towards epilepsy as well as the problems related with the people living with epilepsy in the target area have multifaceted, so that the researcher recommends the need of concerted efforts of concerned body is crucial to combat the problem.