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Cognitive functioning and behaviour of epileptic children in parents' assessment
Dorota Talarska1, Barbara Steinborn, Michał Michalak
1Katedra Profilaktyki Zdrowotnej, ul. Smoluchowskiego 11, Poznañ. pati.talarska@neostrada.pl
Insights
Parents perceive children with epilepsy as having poor cognitive functioning and behavior, with difficulties in concentration and emotional regulation. Polytherapy may exacerbate these challenges, impacting quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Child Psychology
- Quality of Life Studies
Background:
- Chronic childhood illnesses, including epilepsy, can negatively impact cognitive and behavioral functions.
- Anxiety from hospitalization, persistent symptoms, and medication side effects are contributing factors.
- Understanding parental perspectives is crucial for assessing a child's overall well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental opinions on the cognitive functioning and behavior of children with epilepsy.
- To identify specific areas of concern in cognitive and behavioral domains.
- To explore factors influencing parental assessments.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 156 children (aged 7-18) with epilepsy.
- Utilized the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) questionnaire completed by parents.
- Assessed cognitive processes (Area V) and behavior (Area VII) based on questionnaire responses.
Main Results:
- Parents rated cognitive and behavioral functioning similarly (55 points).
- Key difficulties included concentration during tasks/reading and emotional regulation (getting angry easily).
- Age, seizure frequency, and disease duration significantly influenced parental assessments; polytherapy was linked to more difficulties.
Conclusions:
- Parental assessments indicate generally poor cognitive and behavioral functioning in children with epilepsy.
- Children on polytherapy showed more cognitive and behavioral issues compared to those on monotherapy.
- These findings highlight the need for comprehensive support addressing cognitive and behavioral aspects in pediatric epilepsy management.
Background And Purpose:
Cognitive functioning and behaviour of chronically ill children are affected by many factors, including anxiety due to hospitalization, persistent symptoms of sickness and adverse side effects of medications. The aim of this work was to seek out parents' opinion concerning cognitive functioning and behaviour of children with epilepsy.
Material And Methods:
The study comprised 156 children with epilepsy aged 7-18 and treated in the Department of Developmental Neurology at Karol Marcinkowski Poznan University of Medical Sciences and in an outpatient clinic. The research tool used was the questionnaire Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) completed by parents. Assessment of cognitive functioning and behaviour was based on the analysis of the areas V (cognitive processes) and VII (behaviour).
Results:
Parents assessed children's functioning in the areas of cognitive processes and behaviour at a similar level - 55 points. In the area of cognitive processes, concentration while performing some tasks and reading was assessed as the worst. A significant difference in caregivers' assessment was found according to age, frequency of seizures and duration of disease. In the area analysing the child's behaviour, parents indicated getting angry easily and not being upset by other people's opinions. The display of aggression towards others got the lowest number of comments.
Conclusions:
The children's functioning was assessed by parents as rather poor in both analysed areas. Parents of children treated with polytherapy noticed more difficulties in cognitive functioning and behaviour than parents of children treated with one medication.
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