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Mental health in secondary school-aged children with epilepsy and their primary caregivers: A case control study

J Idowu1, C Meades1, J H Cross2

  • 1Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK.

Seizure
|July 12, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with epilepsy experience more mental health problems, as do their caregivers. Early seizure onset and motor issues correlate with increased difficulties in children with epilepsy.

Area of Science:

  • Child Neurology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in children.
  • Mental health comorbidities are frequently observed in pediatric epilepsy.
  • Caregiver mental health is also impacted by childhood epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of mental health problems in adolescents (11-16 years) with epilepsy and their caregivers.
  • To compare mental health outcomes between children with epilepsy and a control group.
  • To identify factors associated with mental health difficulties in children with epilepsy and their caregivers.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study comparing children with epilepsy (n=60) and controls (n=49).
  • Child mental health assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
  • Caregiver mental health assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21); linear regression used for factor analysis.

Main Results:

  • Children with epilepsy showed significantly higher rates of mental health problems (45% vs. 24% by child report; 52% vs. 14% by caregiver report).
  • Caregivers of children with epilepsy reported more depression, anxiety, and stress.
  • Motor coordination problems in children, caregiver mental health, and earlier seizure onset were associated with increased child mental health difficulties.

Conclusions:

  • Epilepsy significantly increases the risk for mental health issues in adolescents.
  • Caregivers of children with epilepsy face a higher burden of mental health problems.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the bidirectional relationship between child and caregiver mental health in pediatric epilepsy.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdolescentCaregiverEpilpesyMental health

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