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Depression in children with epilepsy from western China: A cross-sectional survey
Chunsong Yang1,2, Zilong Hao3, Yifei Mao4
1Department of Pharmacy, Evidence-Based Pharmacy Center, West China Second Hospital, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education.
Insights
A significant portion of children with epilepsy in western China experience depression. Factors like comorbidities and medication side effects are linked to higher depression scores in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Child Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in children.
- Depression is a significant co-occurring condition that impacts quality of life.
- Understanding the prevalence and associated factors of depression in pediatric epilepsy is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of depression among children with epilepsy.
- To identify factors associated with depression in this population.
- To inform targeted interventions for improving mental health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary pediatric neurology department.
- Inclusion of 124 children meeting specific epilepsy criteria.
- Assessment of depression using the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC).
- Collection of sociodemographic, comorbidity, and family condition data.
- Multiple linear regression analysis to identify significant factors.
Main Results:
- A prevalence of 16.9% depression was observed in the studied pediatric epilepsy cohort.
- Higher DSRSC scores were significantly correlated with comorbidities (p=0.043).
- Negative attitudes towards seizures (p=0.039) and adverse medication reactions (p=0.008) were also associated with increased depression scores.
Conclusions:
- Children with epilepsy in western China exhibit a relatively high prevalence of depression.
- Comorbidities, negative seizure attitudes, and adverse drug reactions are key factors associated with depression.
- Enhanced health education and targeted support are recommended for at-risk pediatric epilepsy patients.
Abstract:
This study investigated the prevalence of depression among children with epilepsy and evaluated factors associated with depression.Participants who met the selection criteria were included in this cross-sectional study, which was conducted at the Pediatric Neurology Department of the West China Women's and Children's Hospital from January to May 2018. Depression status among children with epilepsy was evaluated by the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC). Information on sociodemographic characteristics, co-morbid diseases and family conditions were collected as independent variables. Variables found in univariate analysis to affect depression were used in a multiple linear regression model on factors related to depression among children with epilepsy.A total of 124 patients participated in the study, with a response rate of 93.9% (124/132). In this sample, 60.5% (75/124) of patients were male and the mean age of patients was 11.17 ± 2.29 years. The mean score on the DSRSC was 9.65 ± 6.45 and 16.9% (21/124) of children with epilepsy were considered to have depression. According to the multiple linear regression analysis, the DSRSC scores showed a significant correlation with comorbidities (B = 0.178; standard error (SE) = 1.123; P = .043), attitude towards seizures (B = -0.180; SE = 1.171; P = .039) and adverse reaction to medications (B = 0.233; SE = 1.797; P = .008).There is relatively high prevalence of depression in children with epilepsy in western China. More health education is needed to reduce the rate of depression in children with epilepsy, particularly for those patients with comorbidities, negative attitudes towards seizures and adverse reactions to medications.