Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning
This paper makes the case for a re-consideration of the role of trauma and life events – and crucially, their social and political context – in relation to non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD). Trauma and adverse life events have well established links with many health conditions and whilst they are...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-12-01
|
| Series: | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321525000563 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849434361463570432 |
|---|---|
| author | Marian Peacock Paul Bissell Markus Reuber Cordelia Gray Richard Grünewald Jon M. Dickson |
| author_facet | Marian Peacock Paul Bissell Markus Reuber Cordelia Gray Richard Grünewald Jon M. Dickson |
| author_sort | Marian Peacock |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper makes the case for a re-consideration of the role of trauma and life events – and crucially, their social and political context – in relation to non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD). Trauma and adverse life events have well established links with many health conditions and whilst they are acknowledged to play a part in NEAD, more recent research suggests that such events are not ubiquitous. Currently, when events are seen as salient this is most commonly interpreted in relation to properties of the individual and their agency. Context – social and political factors - are seldom integrated or considered.This paper presents findings from a study which examined how trauma and life events were understood by participants, how frequently trauma and life events were present in participants’ accounts and in what ways they may be salient as predisposing, precipitating or perpetuating factors in NEAD. Employing a validated a life history questionnaire to purposively sample participants with high and low levels of self-reported trauma, we deployed a narrative interview approach which elicited rich descriptions of life experiences.We found that descriptions of trauma or adverse life events were present in all our participants and that these events were shaped by social contexts of their lives. We propose that the method used to collect trauma data is central to what is found and that a recognition of the social and political context, and their meanings, results in a more nuanced understanding of the place of trauma and life events. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da923829a24d4e4c8bb9cd16917d804d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2667-3215 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-da923829a24d4e4c8bb9cd16917d804d2025-08-20T03:26:39ZengElsevierSSM: Qualitative Research in Health2667-32152025-12-01810057810.1016/j.ssmqr.2025.100578Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaningMarian Peacock0Paul Bissell1Markus Reuber2Cordelia Gray3Richard Grünewald4Jon M. Dickson5University of Edinburgh, Usher Institute, Little France Road, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX, United Kingdom; Corresponding author.Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Chester, Chester, United KingdomAcademic Neurology Unit, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JF, United KingdomNeurology Psychotherapy Service, Academic Neurology Unit, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JF, United KingdomAcademic Neurology Unit, Consultant Neurologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JF, United KingdomSheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, United KingdomThis paper makes the case for a re-consideration of the role of trauma and life events – and crucially, their social and political context – in relation to non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD). Trauma and adverse life events have well established links with many health conditions and whilst they are acknowledged to play a part in NEAD, more recent research suggests that such events are not ubiquitous. Currently, when events are seen as salient this is most commonly interpreted in relation to properties of the individual and their agency. Context – social and political factors - are seldom integrated or considered.This paper presents findings from a study which examined how trauma and life events were understood by participants, how frequently trauma and life events were present in participants’ accounts and in what ways they may be salient as predisposing, precipitating or perpetuating factors in NEAD. Employing a validated a life history questionnaire to purposively sample participants with high and low levels of self-reported trauma, we deployed a narrative interview approach which elicited rich descriptions of life experiences.We found that descriptions of trauma or adverse life events were present in all our participants and that these events were shaped by social contexts of their lives. We propose that the method used to collect trauma data is central to what is found and that a recognition of the social and political context, and their meanings, results in a more nuanced understanding of the place of trauma and life events.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321525000563Functional seizuresNon-epileptic attack disorderTraumaLife eventsAdversitySocial context |
| spellingShingle | Marian Peacock Paul Bissell Markus Reuber Cordelia Gray Richard Grünewald Jon M. Dickson Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning SSM: Qualitative Research in Health Functional seizures Non-epileptic attack disorder Trauma Life events Adversity Social context |
| title | Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning |
| title_full | Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning |
| title_fullStr | Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning |
| title_short | Non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD): trauma and life events, context and meaning |
| title_sort | non epileptic attack disorder nead trauma and life events context and meaning |
| topic | Functional seizures Non-epileptic attack disorder Trauma Life events Adversity Social context |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321525000563 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marianpeacock nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning AT paulbissell nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning AT markusreuber nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning AT cordeliagray nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning AT richardgrunewald nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning AT jonmdickson nonepilepticattackdisorderneadtraumaandlifeeventscontextandmeaning |