Raising resilience: A parenting intervention for families affected by childhood epilepsy

Despite behavioral concerns reported among children with epilepsy, evidence-based family-focused interventions designed for this population remain limited. The objectives of this study were to characterize behavioral concerns and parent mental health needs in families of children with epilepsy relative to children with non-epileptic neurological conditions and to examine treatment outcomes following a transdiagnostic virtual behavioral parenting intervention for children with neurological and complex medical conditions (Interact-North).

Eighty-eight families of children aged 3-9 years (38 epilepsy, 50 non-epileptic neurological conditions) completed baseline assessments of child behavior concerns (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory- ECBI) and parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale- DASS). Of these families, 60 (22 epilepsy, 38 neurological) completed the virtual parenting intervention. Independent samples t-tests compared baseline outcomes between groups. Linear mixed-effects models with fixed effects for time, group, and their interaction assessed intervention effects. Within the epilepsy group, t-tests and correlations examined how epilepsy-specific factors were associated with baseline severity and treatment response.

At baseline, groups were comparable on child behavioral concerns and parent mental health outcomes. Among those who completed the intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in behavioral problems and parent stress. The epilepsy group demonstrated larger reductions in behavior problems compared to the neurological group (p = .04). Groups showed comparable improvements in behavioral intensity and parent stress. Within the epilepsy group, epilepsy specific characteristics were not associated with treatment response.

Children with epilepsy shared similar behavioral problems as children with other neurological conditions. Transdiagnostic oriented behavioral parenting interventions show promise for families of children with epilepsy, with treatment gains comparable to or exceeding those in other pediatric neurological populations. Importantly, epilepsy-specific medical factors such as drug resistance were not associated with treatment response in this sample, suggesting potential for broad implementation across the epilepsy severity spectrum.