Anxiety and depression in children with epilepsy and their mothers

OBJECTIVE: Children with epilepsy have high rates of depression and anxiety. The majority of studies concentrate on the children with epilepsy, but the emotional impact of epilepsy on family members is of clinical concern. In this cross-sectional study we aimed to examine the association between epilepsy in childhood and adolescence, and anxiety and depression in these patients and their mothers. METHODS: We studied 35 children and adolescents with seizures (age range, 7-19 years), 35 gender-matched healthy controls (age range, 8-17) who did not have any chronic medical illness, and mothers of these individuals (n=70) in a cross-sectional analysis. We administered the Kovac Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIc) to the children. We administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to the mothers of these children. Pearson correlations were used to analyze dependence between variables, and Student's t test was used to compare mean values between test scores. RESULTS: Patients with epilepsy had higher CDI scores (mean+/-SD, 12.48+/-6.35) than controls (9.31+/-5.11) (P<0.05), whereas the STAIc scores did not differ between cases (34.03+/-8.29) and controls (35.20+/-6.23) (P<0.05). Mothers of children with epilepsy did not have more depression or anxiety symptoms than mothers of children without epilepsy as measured by BDI and STAI scores (P>0.05). There was no correlation between mothers' scores and patients' or controls' scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results support findings from previous studies that children and adolescents with epilepsy have a higher frequency of depressive but not anxiety symptoms than the general population of healthy children and that this is independent of their mothers' symptoms.     

Childhood absence epilepsy: behavioral, cognitive, and linguistic comorbidities

Purpose: Evidence for a poor psychiatric, social, and vocational adult outcome in childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) suggests long‐term unmet mental health, social, and vocational needs. This cross‐sectional study examined behavioral/emotional, cognitive, and linguistic comorbidities as well as their correlates in children with CAE. Methods: Sixty‐nine CAE children aged 9.6 (SD = 2.49) years and 103 age‐ and gender‐matched normal children had semistructured psychiatric interviews, as well as cognitive and linguistic testing. Parents provided demographic, seizure‐related, and behavioral information on their children through a semi‐structured psychiatric interview and the child behavior checklist (CBCL). Results: Compared to the normal group, 25% of the CAE children had subtle cognitive deficits, 43% linguistic difficulties, 61% a psychiatric diagnosis, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders, and 30% clinically relevant CBCL broad band scores. The most frequent CBCL narrow band factor scores in the clinical/borderline range were attention and somatic complaints, followed by social and thought problems. Duration of illness, seizure frequency, and antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment were related to the severity of the cognitive, linguistic, and psychiatric comorbidities. Only 23% of the CAE subjects had intervention for these problems. Conclusions: The high rate of impaired behavior, emotions, cognition, and language and low intervention rate should alert clinicians to the need for early identification and treatment of children with CAE, particularly those with longer duration of illness, uncontrolled seizures, and AED treatment.     

Health-related quality of life in adolescents with well-controlled epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the work described in this article was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of adolescents with well-controlled epilepsy. METHODS: The Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory for Adolescents 48 (QOLIE-AD-48) was completed by 71 subjects with uncomplicated epilepsy who had been seizure-free for more than a year. HRQOL was measured in eight domains: Health Perception, Epilepsy Impact, Memory/Concentration, Physical Functioning, Stigma, Social Support, School Behavior, and Attitudes toward Epilepsy. In addition, antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy and concern over seizures recurring were analyzed in relation to HRQOL. RESULTS: The mean HRQOL total scores were 83.9 for boys and 83.06 for girls. The highest scores were observed in the Physical Functioning and School Behavior domains; the lowest in the Attitudes toward Epilepsy domain. Girls reported more positive perceptions in the Stigma and Social Support domains. Greater intake of AEDs and concern over seizures recurring accounted for poorer HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with favorable seizure control evaluated their HRQOL as satisfactory. However, they perceived their best adjustment to epilepsy to be in the Physical Functioning and School Behavior domains. AED intake and concern over seizures recurring were predictors of HRQOL in this group.     

A study of educational underachievement in Indian children with epilepsy

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that significantly affects learning and behavior. Children with epilepsy are much more vulnerable for educational problems than with any other chronic illness. Objectives: The study was conducted to assess the extent of educational problems and factors associated with educational underachievement in Indian children with epilepsy. Methods: It was a case control study and included 100 cases of 6–16 years age of epilepsy, 50 healthy children (control A) and 50 children with persistent asthma (control B). Their demographic and disease variables were evaluated. The educational performance was assessed by using a predesigned semi structured open ended questionnaire to parents and by teacher’s report. Psychological evaluation was done in first step by using a standard questionnaire, childhood psychopathology measurement schedule. In second step, those have shown poor educational performance or significant score in standard questionnaire underwent detailed psychiatric evaluation. Results: Educational problems were reported in cases (36%), control A (2%) and control B (16%). Demographic or disease variables were not associated with educational problems in cases except that boys were more affected than girls. On psychiatric evaluation psychopathological illnesses (47%) like attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder, conduct disorder and depression were found to be commonly associated with poor educational performance (47%) followed by decreased learning opportunities (22.2%) and borderline intelligence (19.4%) in children with epilepsy. Conclusion: Educational problems are commoner in children with epilepsy than with asthma. Psychopathological problems are commonly associated with educational underachievement in children with epilepsy. Therefore periodic psychosocial assessment, counseling and support must be provided to improve the psychosocial adjustment in children with epilepsy.     

Hemisphere Preference Test: Psychometric properties and relations with academic performance among adolescents

The present study explored, in adolescents, the dimensionality (factorial structure), reliability (internal consistency and test–retest stability) and predictive validity (in relation with academic grades) of the Hemispheric Preference Test (HPT), a widely used self-report index of thinking styles among adults. A sample of 990 Spanish adolescents aged 10–14 completed HPT and reported their academic grades. Results indicated a two-factor structure for HPT that can be interpreted in terms of left- and right-Hemisphere Preference (HP). The two-factor structure was clearer in boys compared to girls. The internal consistency and test–retest at 6 and 12 months were satisfactory. Left-HP scores decreased with age whereas girls obtained a higher mean score on right-HP sub-scale. Finally, Left-HP accounted for a significant variance percentage on academic grades after controlling for age and sex. Results suggested that Spanish version of the HPT was effective and reliable among adolescents.     

Anxiety in children with epilepsy

Although the prevalence is unknown, affective disorders are more common in children with epilepsy than in healthy controls. The purpose of the present study was to examine the occurrence of anxiety in children and adolescents with epilepsy and to determine factors associated with elevation of these symptoms. Children and adolescents (n=101) between the ages of 6 and 16 years were given the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety were reported by 23% of the patients. Based on regression analysis, factors significantly associated with increased anxiety included the presence of comorbid learning or behavioral difficulties, ethnicity, and polytherapy. Results suggest the need to monitor children and adolescents with epilepsy for affective symptoms in order to provide appropriate interventions.     

新诊断癫痫患者演变为难治性癫痫的发生率及危险因素探讨

目的 调查新诊断癫痫患者中难治性癫痫(Refractory Epilepsy,RE)的发生率,探索早期预测RE的危险因素.方法 以2009年RE新定义为标准,将新诊断癫痫患者分为RE组和非RE组,观察其RE的发生比例;通过单因素和多因素logistic回归分析,比较两组患者的临床特点,探索癫痫患者易发展为RE的预测因素.结果 本研究共收集156例诊断明确、治疗合理的癫痫患者,平均随访5年,其中22例为RE患者,RE发生率为14.10%.单因素1ogistic回归分析显示:部分性发作、多种癫痫发作类型、病程中发作类型改变与RE有关;未发现性别、初次发病年龄、治疗前发作次数、睡眠中发作、隐源性或症状性癫痫、家族史、围产期危险因素史、热性惊厥史、既往脑损伤史、早期智能障碍、脑影像学异常、治疗前及治疗早期EEG异常与RE有关;多因素logistic回归分析显示:部分性癫痫发作(OR=4.13,95%CI 1.54～11.08,P=0.005)、病程中发作类型改变(OR=7.04,95%CI 1.19～41.66,P=0.031)是癫痫患者易发展为RE的预测因素.结论 新诊断癫痫患者演变为RE的机率较低,部分性癫痫发作、病程中发作类型改变的癫痫患者易发展为RE.     

Severity of depressive symptomatology and functional impairment in children and adolescents with temporal lobe epilepsy

ObjectiveDepression is a frequent psychiatric disorder in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, severity of depressive symptoms (DS) is frequently neglected in these patients. This study aimed to determine severity of DS and global functioning by using quantitative measures and to establish their correlation with patients’ demographics and clinical variables.Methods31 children (mean age of 11.8 ± 2.3 years) with TLE were assessed with K-SADS-PL for axis I DSM-IV diagnosis. Severity of DS was measured by Children Depression Rating Scale-Revised – CDRS-R. Global functional impairment was evaluated with Child Global Assessment Scale-CGAS.Results25 patients (56% boys; 12 ± 2.3 years) had current DS, moderate or severe in 84% according to CDRS-R T-Score. Severity of DS was not correlated with age (p = 0.377), gender (p = 0.132), seizure control (p = 0.936), age of onset (p = 0.731), duration of epilepsy (p = 0.602) and the presence of hippocampal sclerosis (p = 0.614). Patients had moderate to major functional impairment measured by CGAS (48.7 ± 8.8), being adolescents more impaired than children (p = 0.03). Impairment of global functioning was not associated with epilepsy variables (p > 0.05).ConclusionChildren with TLE had moderate to severe DS early in the course of their disease with a relevant impact on their global functional activities, especially considering adolescents. Epilepsy severity seems not to be correlated to the severity of DS, contradicting the idea of a cause–consequence relationship. More systematic research is needed to better understand the association of depressive disorders in children and adolescents with TLE.     

成年癫痫患者的自杀风险及相关危险因素研究

目的：研究成人癫痫患者自杀风险及相关危险因素。方法采用简明国际神经精神访谈（MINI）自杀风险模块和抑郁障碍模块对211例我院门诊的成年癫痫患者进行心理评估,并详细记录患者的年龄、性别、就业状况、婚姻、教育年限、发病年龄、病程、发作类型、发作频率、头颅M RI结果以及使用抗癫痫药种数,比较上述因素与自杀风险的关系。结果本组病例中有自杀风险的患者占21.3％（45/211）,伴抑郁障碍的患者占17.1％（36/211）;而伴抑郁障碍患者的自杀风险高达75.0％（27/36）,非抑郁障碍患者的自杀风险达10.3％（18/175）,差异有统计学意义（χ2＝74.525,P＜0.01）。结论伴抑郁障碍的癫痫患者自杀风险更高。     

Negative emotions in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy

PURPOSE: To understand the emotional predicament in children with recently diagnosed idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsy. METHODS: We used the well-tried method of structured projection for the first time in children with epilepsy. Thirty-six children with epilepsy, aged 7-15 years (mean age, 9.5 years) and in 35 control children aged 7-15 years (mean age, 9.4 years), attributed shame and guilt in relation to three types of situation (non-illness related, illness related, and epilepsy related). Children were evaluated twice: shortly after diagnosis, before antiepileptic drug (AED) use and after an interval of 3 months. RESULTS: Children with epilepsy and healthy controls were similar in their way of attributing shame and guilt. However, the type of situation was of influence: Both children with epilepsy and healthy children attributed more shame to incompetence due to epilepsy than to incompetence due to other illnesses. CONCLUSIONS: Increased affective problems in childhood epilepsy cannot be explained by excessive attribution of shame and guilt, affects known to be important precursors of psychopathology, yet both healthy children and children with epilepsy attribute more shame to epilepsy than to other illnesses. Epilepsy is not like any other disease.     

Seizure impact on the school attendance in children with epilepsy

RATIONALE: Epilepsy has a significant influence on the patient's quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of ongoing seizures on school attendance amongst children with epilepsy. METHODS: This was a prospective study, conducted at the University of Campinas, in the pediatric epilepsy clinic, from January 2005 to August 2006. We enrolled 50 consecutive children who had a diagnosis of epilepsy. Parents were interviewed by one of the authors using a semi-structured questionnaire that included questions specifically addressing the impact of epilepsy on the child's academic life. RESULTS: Fifty patients were evaluated, 34 boys and 16 girls; ages ranged from 6 to 18 years old (mean=11). Eighty-eight percent of patients in the study missed at least 1 day of school due to seizures. The reason given by parents for a school absence was seizure in 75%, medical appointment in 79.5%, epilepsy related tests (EEG, MRI, etc.) in 68.2%, and other in 0.03%. Almost half of the parents (46%) believed that if the child had a seizure at school he/she should leave school immediately. Sixty percent of families allowed the child to skip a school day even if there was no illness and the child had no seizures on that day. Among those patients with siblings, 12.5% had a brother or sister who was absent from school for at least 1 day due to his/her sibling's epilepsy. CONCLUSION: Seizures have a significant impact on school attendance, and as a result may increase the academic difficulties faced by children with epilepsy. This effect may be especially pronounced in children with symptomatic epilepsy and medically intractable seizures.     

The impact of childhood epilepsy on neurocognitive and behavioral performance: a prospective longitudinal study

PURPOSE: To assess neurocognitive and behavioral performance in children with idiopathic epilepsy (CWE, n = 74), their siblings without epilepsy (control, n = 23), and children with migraine (CWM, n = 13), and to identify medical factors related to learning or behavioral problems in CWE. METHODS: Subjects, ages 8-13 years with IQs of >/=80, completed a neurocognitive test battery annually for 相似文献   

Co-occurrences between adolescent substance use and academic performance: School context influences a multilevel-longitudinal perspective

A growing body of literature has linked substance use and academic performance exploring substance use as a predictor of academic performance or vice versa. This study uses a different approach conceptualizing substance use and academic performance as parallel outcomes and exploring two topics: its multilevel-longitudinal association and school contextual effects on both outcomes. Using multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis and multilevel-longitudinal analyses, the empirical estimates relied on 7843 students nested in 114 schools (Add Health study). The main finding suggests that the correlation between substance use and academic performance was positive at the school level in contraposition to the negative relationship at the individual level. Additional findings suggest a positive effect of a school risk factor on substance use and a positive effect of academic pressure on academic performance. These findings represent a contribution to our understanding of how schools could affect the relationship between academic performance and substance use.     

Stress as a risk factor for seizures among adults with epilepsy

This study examines the effects of major life events, daily hassles and uplifts, and daily stress levels as they increase or decrease the risks of having seizures and estimates risk ratios for specific stressors and perceived stress levels. Utilizing a prospective design, 12 adults with severe epilepsy monitored the occurrence of seizures, stressors, and stress levels over a 3-month period. In within-individual analyses, high stress levels and stressful events were associated with more frequent seizures for most participants. The association between higher stress levels and increased seizures was confirmed in group analyses. This study provides empirical evidence of the association between stress and seizures and describes the use of a statistical model that is useful for investigating risk factors as they influence physical and mental illness.     

难治性癫痫早期预测因素的病例对照研究

目的 探索癫痫患者易演变为难治性癫痫（refractory epilepsy,RE）的早期预测因素,为临床尽早处理RE提供理论依据。方法 收集173例诊断明确、治疗合理的癫痫患者,分为药物难治性癫痫(drug non-responsive epilepsy,DNR-EP)组（106例）和药物有效性癫痫(drug-responsiveepilepsy,DR-EP)组（67例）。通过观察癫痫患者早期临床特点,采用多因素Logistic回归分析,探索癫痫患者易发展为RE的预测因素。结果 多因素Logistic回归分析显示：初次治疗前＞10次发作（OR =4.46,95％ CI 1.60～12.40,P=0.004）、早期伴智能障碍(OR=19.87,95％ CI 3.60～ 109.78,P=0.001)、治疗后脑电图仍有癫痫波样异常（OR=7.57,95％ CI 2.54～22.56,P＜0.01）是癫痫患者易发展为RE的预测因素;而初次使用抗癫痫药物(AEDs)治疗效果良好是RE的保护因素（OR=0.05,95％ CI 0.018 ～0.139,P＜0.01）。结论 初次治疗前发作次数多、早期伴智能障碍、治疗后脑电图仍有癫痫波样异常、初次AEDs治疗效果差的癫痫患者易发展为RE。     

Classification of childhood epilepsy syndromes in newly diagnosed epilepsy: interrater agreement and reasons for disagreement

PURPOSE: The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification of the epilepsies is in increasingly widespread use. The following analysis was done to assess the interrater agreement in classifying epilepsy syndromes in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. METHODS: In a prospective, community-based study, 613 children with newly diagnosed epilepsy were recruited. Based on information available at diagnosis or generated as part of the initial diagnostic assessment, three pediatric neurologists independently classified epilepsy syndromes. Interrater agreement was assessed with kappa. RESULTS: Interrater agreement was extremely good, with kappa scores > or = 0.80 for almost all comparisons. Relatively limited quality of the EEG and seizure information in some cases, as well as discrepancies between the two, were associated with a tendency for more disagreement. CONCLUSIONS: A high degree of interrater agreement was obtained in this study, indicating that the system for classifying syndromes can be meaningfully used in a community-based sample. Quality of the information, which is often, by necessity, less than optimal in newly diagnosed epilepsy, is a potential barrier to identification of syndromes. A substantial proportion of children were classified into relatively nonspecific syndromes. Over time, additional information may come to light to allow more precise identification of their forms of epilepsy. In an epidemiologic setting, the ILAE classification of the epilepsies can be successfully used with a high degree of reliability to classify newly diagnosed epilepsy in children.     

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is a common disorder in childhood. After a brief overview of BECTS, a review of the data in favor of treatment with anticonvulsant medications is followed by the data indicating that treatment is not indicated. Some children appear to have cognitive consequences from BECTS. The parents and children with BECTS require a full discussion of the pros and cons of treatment, but based on data available at this time, it is concluded that treatment is generally not indicated for most patients. Future research may lead to changes in the recommendations.     

Factors contributing to Korean adolescents' perceptions of stigma with respect to epilepsy

We assessed knowledge and perceptions of epilepsy held by Korean adolescents in the general population, and investigated factors important in adolescents' perceptions of stigma with respect to epilepsy. Surveys were distributed to students at 22 schools. A total of 1377 students participated. Fewer than half of all students (45.1%) reported hearing or reading about epilepsy. Overall, students showed a general lack of familiarity with and knowledge of epilepsy. Stigma perception scores were significantly higher in boys than in girls (P<0.05) and in middle school than in high school (P<0.05) students. We also found that stigma perception scores were significantly correlated with both younger age (r=-0.074, P=0.006) and lower knowledge scores (r=-0.404, P=0.000). Linear regression analysis showed that stigma-related perception was associated with lower knowledge scores (P<0.001) and middle school (P<0.05). These results indicate a need for public education of adolescents in the general population to decrease the stigma associated with epilepsy.     

The association between periodontal disease and seizure severity in refractory epilepsy patients

PurposePeriodontal diseases are common in most populations and affect people at all socioeconomic levels. Evidence suggests that patients with epilepsy actually have higher risks of dental disease and increased oral health needs, but the frequency and consequences of poor controlled seizures on dental and periodontal health have not been reported before. We aimed to assess the impact of seizure frequency on periodontal status and oral hygiene in a sample of epilepsy patients.MethodsOne hundred and nine consecutive patients treated for epilepsy at the outpatient clinic of our University Hospital were invited to take part in an oral examination to determine their periodontal disease status, together with a control group. In addition, seizure frequency and use of medication were documented.ResultsIn logistic regression model, patients were significantly more susceptible to bad oral hygiene, gingivitis and periodontitis that controls (p < 0.001); seizure frequency was significantly related to bad oral hygiene (p = 0.010), gingivitis (p < 0.001) and periodontitis (p < 0.001). Tooth brushing habits and presence of caries were associated with oral health in patients group.ConclusionOur study found a significant positive correlation between periodontal disease and seizure severity. Epilepsy patients need to focus more on their oral health and quality of oral hygiene.