Mental health of children with epilepsy in Ukraine during the war

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has created a severe humanitarian crisis, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations such as children with chronic conditions. We set out to determine information about mental health in children with epilepsy in Ukraine affected by the conflict.

Mental health outcomes in 213 Ukrainian children with epilepsy during the conflict were screened using standardized instruments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), anxiety (7 item Generalized Anxiety Disorder module, GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), and epilepsy severity (Global Assessment of Severity of Epilepsy scale, GASE). Data were collected between February and June 2023 through self- or proxy-completed surveys.

Participants (14.6%) screened positive for PTSD symptoms, with girls significantly more affected than boys. A high proportion screened positive for symptoms of anxiety and depression, with 22% in the range for severe anxiety and 55% in the moderate-to-severe depression range. Epilepsy severity strongly correlated with mental health burden. Access to care was severely disrupted: 76% reported difficulty obtaining antiseizure medications, and 51% struggled to access medical services, contributing to increased seizure frequency in 56% of cases. Regression analyses identified epilepsy severity and barriers to medical care as key predictors of adverse mental health outcomes.

These findings underscore the compounded impact of war and chronic illness on children's psychological well-being and highlight the urgent need for trauma-informed, multilevel interventions, and improved access to health care for this vulnerable population.