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Adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy: contributions of seizure-related variables and parental anxiety

Valerie Kerne1, Lynn Chapieski1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Section of Psychology, Texas Children's Hospital, 6701 Fannin, CC-1630, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B
|January 6, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric epilepsy patients with intractable seizures face challenges in independence. Key risk factors include seizure type, duration, medication, and age at onset, impacting adaptive functioning.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Epilepsy significantly impacts young people's independence compared to peers.
  • Intractable seizures in children pose risks to adaptive functioning.
  • Parental anxiety is a potential mediator in the epilepsy-adaptive functioning relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Identify seizure-related risk factors for poor adaptive functioning in pediatric patients.
  • Examine direct and indirect effects of medical variables on adaptive functioning.
  • Investigate the role of parental anxiety in mediating these effects.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed data from 97 pediatric patients with intractable seizures.
  • Evaluated seizure-related variables (e.g., anticonvulsants, seizure generalization, duration, age at onset).
  • Assessed parental anxiety levels and parental education.

Main Results:

  • Higher anticonvulsant numbers, generalized seizures, longer epilepsy duration, and younger age at onset were risk factors for poor adaptive functioning.
  • Effects were sometimes direct, sometimes indirect via parental anxiety.
  • Lower parental education and family history of seizures correlated with higher parental anxiety.

Conclusions:

  • Specific seizure characteristics and early onset negatively affect adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy.
  • Parental anxiety plays a significant role, influenced by parental education and family history.
  • Interventions targeting parental anxiety may improve social development outcomes for children with epilepsy.

Keywords:
Adaptive skillsEpilepsyPediatricSeizuresSocial development

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