Measures of psychopathology in children with complex partial seizures and primary generalized epilepsy with absence
1Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA. dott@mednet.ucla.edu
Insights
The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) identified more psychopathology in children with epilepsy than the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). This finding is crucial for understanding mental health in pediatric epilepsy patients.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Epilepsy is common in children, affecting cognitive and emotional development.
- Psychopathology is frequently observed in children with epilepsy, impacting their quality of life.
- Accurate assessment tools are vital for identifying and managing psychiatric conditions in pediatric epilepsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) in detecting psychopathology in children with epilepsy.
- To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children with complex partial seizures (CPS) and primary generalized epilepsy with absence (PGE) compared to nonepileptic controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) completed by parents and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) administered to parents and children.
- Compared psychopathology rates between 48 children with CPS, 39 with PGE, and 59 nonepileptic children (aged 5–16).
Main Results:
- The K-SADS identified psychopathology in 51% of epilepsy patients, compared to 26% identified by the CBCL.
- Children with CPS and PGE exhibited significantly higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms than the nonepileptic group.
- Full Scale IQ, not seizure control, correlated with psychopathology within patient groups.
Conclusions:
- The K-SADS is more sensitive than the CBCL in identifying psychopathology in children with CPS and PGE.
- Findings highlight the importance of using comprehensive diagnostic tools for assessing mental health in pediatric epilepsy.
Objective:
This investigation examined psychopathology in 48 children with complex partial seizures (CPS), 39 children with primary generalized epilepsy with absence (PGE), and 59 nonepileptic children, aged 5 to 16 years, by comparing the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS).
Method:
The CBCL was completed by parents and the K-SADS was administered to both parent and child.
Results:
The CBCL identified psychopathology in 26% and the K-SADS in 51% of the CPS and PGE patients (kappa = 0.32). The CPS and PGE groups had significantly higher mean CBCL scores, as well as higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms of psychopathology, compared with the nonepileptic group. However, the CPS and PGE groups did not differ in these measures. Within each patient group, Full Scale IQ, but not seizure control, was associated with these measures of psychopathology.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that the K-SADS identifies more children with psychopathology than the CBCL in children with CPS and PGE.
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