Epilepsy & Behavior· 2026Q2
Psychological resilience as a key pathway between depression and executive functioning in epilepsy
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
In epilepsy patients (n=71), psychological resilience partially mediates the link between depressive symptoms and executive dysfunction, with lower resilience explaining part of the cognitive impairment associated with depression.
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Key points
- Psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and executive functioning in focal epilepsy patients.
- Reduced resilience explains a portion of the executive dysfunction associated with depressive symptoms (indirect effect = -0.095, CI [-0.199, −0.011]).
- The study included 71 patients with focal epilepsy, assessing depression, resilience, and executive functioning.
- Education and seizure frequency were also identified as independent predictors of executive functioning.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Introduction In epilepsy, the burden of depression extends beyond mood, often accompanying difficulties in executive functioning. However, the psychological factors shaping this relationship remain largely unexplored. This study examines whether psychological resilience serves as a bridge between emotional distress and cognitive functioning in focal epilepsy. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 71 patients with focal epilepsy underwent assessment of depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42), resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10), and executive functioning using a composite neuropsychological score. A mediation analysis using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 4) with 5000 bootstrap samples examined whether resilience mediated the association between depressive symptoms and executive functioning. Results Among 31 patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and 40 with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), resilience emerged as a key psychological pathway connecting depressive symptoms and executive functioning. Mediation analysis showed that resilience partially mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and executive functioning after controlling for education and seizure frequency. The indirect effect was significant (effect = -0.095, BootSE = 0.047, 95 % bootstrap CI [-0.199, −0.011]), indicating that reduced resilience partly explained the association between depressive symptoms and executive dysfunction. Education and seizure frequency also emerged as independent predictors of executive functioning. Conclusion Beyond clinical factors, psychological strength matters: resilience may be associated with cognitive outcomes in focal epilepsy and may attenuate the influence of depressive symptoms on executive functioning. These findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological assessment and interventions into comprehensive epilepsy care to support cognitive and emotional well-being.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Epilepsy & Behavior, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Clinical Psychology
Clinical PsychologyPsychology