Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Child Psychology
• Learning Disabilities

Background:

• Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are functional neurological disorder events.
• Learning problems (LP) can co-occur with PNES in pediatric populations.
• Understanding risk factors for LP in PNES is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors for learning problems (LP) in pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).
• To determine the specificity of these risk factors by comparing PNES patients with their siblings.
• To investigate associations between psychopathology, medical history, cognitive function, bullying, and parent education with LP in PNES.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 55 pediatric PNES patients and 35 siblings (aged 8-18) were assessed.
• Evaluations included cognitive, linguistic, and achievement testing, and questionnaires for somatization and anxiety sensitivity.
• Semi-structured psychiatric interviews and parent/child reports gathered data on LP, medical, psychiatric, family, and bullying history.

Main Results:

• Sixty percent of PNES subjects and 49% of siblings presented with learning problems.
• Multivariable analysis revealed bullying and impaired sentence formulation as significant predictors of LP in PNES youth.
• Anxiety disorder diagnoses and bullying were identified as specific risk factors for LP in the PNES group.

Conclusions:

• Youth with PNES frequently experience learning problems.
• Assessing PNES patients for LP is essential, especially those with a history of bullying or linguistic deficits.
• Anxiety disorder diagnoses are also associated with increased LP risk in this population.