Preparedness of undergraduate health students to provide women-specific epilepsy care: knowledge gaps and stigmatizing attitudes in Saudi Arabia

Background Women with epilepsy have distinct reproductive, clinical, and psychosocial healthcare needs that require women-specific care. This study assessed the preparedness of undergraduate health students by examining their knowledge, attitudes, and stigmatizing beliefs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 339 undergraduate health students at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia, using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regression examined the factors associated with total knowledge score, while the ≥60% knowledge benchmark was retained for descriptive and exploratory sensitivity analyses. Results The mean knowledge score was 7.37 ± 2.96 out of 16 (46.1%), and 23.6% met the ≥60% benchmark. Knowledge gaps were most evident in reproductive health, hormonal influences, fertility, antiseizure medication safety, and contraceptive counseling topics. Attitudes were generally supportive, although stigma persisted regarding marriage, parenting, and close relationships. Male gender and earlier academic year were associated with lower adjusted knowledge scores, whereas field of study, epilepsy history, formal education, and recent training were not significantly associated with knowledge. Conclusion Undergraduate health students demonstrated substantial knowledge gaps in women-specific epilepsy care, despite generally supportive attitudes. Reviewing curricular coverage and addressing identified gaps in reproductive health, medication safety, contraception, pregnancy-related care, and stigma may enhance preparedness for evidence-based, patient-centered care. The threshold-based logistic sensitivity analysis should be considered exploratory because of the low events-per-parameter ratio.