Complementary and alternative approaches used by parents of children with epilepsy on epilepsy management
Ayşegül Işler1, Fatma Dilek Turan1, Sebahat Gözüm2
1Akdeniz University, Nursing Faculty, Pediatric Nursing Department, Antalya, Turkey.
Insights
Parents of children with epilepsy widely use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for management. Common CAM practices include prayer, dietary adjustments, and ensuring good sleep, with most parents believing these methods are effective and safe.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Epilepsy Management
Background:
- Epilepsy affects children and adolescents, necessitating comprehensive management strategies.
- Parents often seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches alongside conventional treatments for pediatric epilepsy.
- Understanding parental and child-centered CAM use is crucial for holistic epilepsy care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spectrum of complementary and alternative approaches utilized by parents for managing epilepsy in children.
- To identify the most prevalent CAM practices employed during routine management and seizures.
- To assess parental perceptions regarding the efficacy and safety of these alternative interventions.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study design was employed.
- Data were collected from 304 parents of children (0-18 years) with epilepsy using a researcher-developed questionnaire.
- The study was conducted at Akdeniz University Hospital's Pediatric Neurology Clinic in Turkey (January-May 2013).
Main Results:
- All surveyed parents reported using CAM for their children's epilepsy management.
- Top parental CAM approaches included prayer (99.3%), avoiding smoke exposure (79.8%), and specific dietary interventions (walnuts, butter, bone marrow).
- During seizures, prayer (96.2%) and comforting the child (55.6%) were common. Parents perceived CAM as effective (98%) and safe (100%), intending to continue use (98.4%). Children also used coping strategies like pet care and music.
Conclusions:
- Parents and children with epilepsy frequently use complementary approaches for illness management.
- Many of these CAM practices may positively contribute to epilepsy management.
- Identifying potentially harmful interventions is vital for educating families and optimizing epilepsy care.
- Further research into the efficacy and safety of specific CAM modalities in pediatric epilepsy is warranted.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to determine the complementary and alternative approaches used by parents of children with epilepsy on epilepsy management. This descriptive study included a total of 304 parents of children with epilepsy aged between 0 and 18years evaluated at the Pediatric Neurology Clinic of Akdeniz University Hospital in Turkey between January and May 2013. Data were collected by using a questionnaire developed by the researchers. It was determined that all the parents use complementary and alternative approaches for their children with epilepsy, and the most common approaches are praying (99.3%); keeping their children away from the effects of smoking (79.8%); feeding their children walnuts (79.6%), butter (59.2%), and bone marrow (58.6%); providing their children with good quality sleep (58.6%); and enabling their children to play games (51%). The approaches commonly applied during seizures include praying (96.2%), comforting their children in their arms and showing affection (55.6%), waiting for seizures to finish at home (45.7%), and laying children on their side (41.1%). Of parents, 98% stated that alternative approaches enable them to control their child's seizures, 100% said that alternative approaches have no adverse effect, and 98.4% stated that they will continue to use these approaches. The children's approaches to cope with epilepsy included looking after pets (72.7%), listening to music (70.1%), watching television (64.5%), playing games (55.3%), praying (51%), and spending time with friends (48.7%). Most of the approaches used by parents and children with epilepsy for the management of illness are determined to consist of complementary approaches that may contribute to management of epilepsy. Knowing the approaches of parents and children with epilepsy that could adversely affect disease management is important for educating parents and children to avoid these potentially harmful interventions.
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