Parenting stress and childhood epilepsy: the impact of depression, learning, and seizure-related factors.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate stress in parents of children with epilepsy relative to the impact of childhood depression, learning disorders, and seizure-related risk factors.


METHODS
Sixty-five parents and their children completed the Parenting Stress Index, Child Depression Inventory, and behavior and demographic forms. Kruska-Wallis ANOVAs and Spearman's rank correlations were used in a cross-sectional study design.


RESULTS
High levels of stress were found among the parents (45%). Overall, child depression (23%) was found to significantly increase the distress parents experienced in their role (P<0.05). Another risk factor found to impact parenting stress was learning disabilities (P<0.01). The seizure-related factors of polytherapy, duration, and age at onset were correlated with depression (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
To effectively manage children with epilepsy, assessments of depression and learning must be considered because of their potential impact on parenting stress and the child's overall quality of life.
Cushner-Weinstein
Sandra
S
Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Department of Neurology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20010-2970, USA. scushwei@cnmc.org
Dassoulas
Kasandra
K
Salpekar
Jay A
JA
Henderson
Sarah E
SE
Pearl
Phillip L
PL
Gaillard
William D
WD
Weinstein
Steven L
SL
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires