Emotional Impact of Childhood Epilepsy on Parents at Diagnosis and One Year Later
Abstract number :
2.228
Submission category :
Year :
2001
Submission ID :
3089
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2001, 06:00 AM
Authors :
T. Tulipan, B.Sc., Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; K.N. Speechley, Ph.D., Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; S.D. Levin, M.D., Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
RATIONALE: The psychosocial impact of epilepsy on children has received research attention, but less is known about how parents cope emotionally with childhood epilepsy. Clinical experience suggests that parents usually exhibit signs of distress, especially at time of diagnosis. We hypothesized that at diagnosis, parents[ssquote] levels of parenting stress, depression, anxiety and impact of the child[ssquote]s health-related quality of life (QOL) on parents would be significantly higher than in normative samples of parents with healthy children. We also hypothesized that parents[scquote] levels of parenting stress, depression and anxiety would be significantly higher at diagnosis than one year later.
METHODS: Parents of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy were interviewed shortly after diagnosis and again one year later using the Parenting Stress Index Short Form, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and two subscales of the Child Health Questionnaire, Parental Impact [ndash] Emotional and Parental Impact [ndash] Time. Qualitative data were also gathered using open-ended questions. At baseline, 19 of 23 eligible families participated (83%), with 14 re-interviewed one year later.
RESULTS: Results at diagnosis indicated that average levels of parenting stress and anxiety were not significantly different than in parents with healthy children. Mean depression scores were significantly higher for study mothers compared to a normative sample of parents with healthy children (13.8 vs. 8.8; p[lt].05). The parental impact of the child[ssquote]s health-related QOL (emotional) was significantly higher than found in general population data (mean=57.5 vs 74.0, p[lt].005) while there was no significant difference in the impact on parents[ssquote] time. Comparing parents[ssquote] scores at diagnosis and one year later, parenting stress significantly increased (mean=50.2 vs 55.0, p[lt].0005). Significant decreases were found in anxiety, especially state (mean=35.9 vs 28.1; p[lt]001), depression (mean=16.3 vs. 9.2, p[lt]003), and impact of child[ssquote]s health-related QOL, emotional and time (mean=55.1 vs 66.1, p[lt].005 & mean=81.2 vs 85.7, p[lt].003, respectively). The qualitative results are also used to inform the interpretation of the quantitative results.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that parents of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy may be at elevated risk for depression and that by one year after diagnosis significant decreases occur in parents[ssquote] depression, anxiety and the impact that the child[ssquote]s health-related QOL has on them. While this is one of the first longitudinal analyses of parental impact of childhood epilepsy, the small sample requires that these conclusions be considered preliminary pending replication in a larger sample.
Support: University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry[ssquote]s Summer Research Training Program