title: Anxiety and depressive symptoms in children presenting with a first seizure.
abstract: We investigated whether children presenting with a first seizure experienced anxiety and depressive signs. Children (aged 7-17 years) with a first unprovoked afebrile seizure participated. These patients (mean age, 12 +/- 2.7 years S.D.; 14 female/8 male) completed the Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale (n = 22) and Children's Depression Inventory (n = 20). Scores were compared with: (1) published norms, and (2) control patients with new medical signs. Compared with the published norms, children reported greater total anxiety (P < 0.02), worry/oversensitivity (P < 0.008), and social concerns/concentration (P < 0.005). However, compared with the control patients, no difference was seen between groups. Total Children's Depression Inventory scores were higher than for published norms (P = 0.05) and control patients (P = 0.04). Children with a first seizure reported greater interpersonal problems (P < 0.01), ineffectiveness (P < 0.03), and negative self-esteem (P < 0.05) than published norms, and increased negative mood (P = 0.04), ineffectiveness (P = 0.04), anhedonia (P = 0.05), and negative self-esteem (P = 0.05) than control patients. Our results suggest that anxiety may be related to an illness or to the hospital experience itself, whereas depressive signs may be a comorbidity present at time of presentation of the first seizure. If a larger cohort substantiates these results, early screening for these signs would be of clinical importance.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Julia C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Loney
authors.forename: Elaine C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wirrell
authors.forename: Elisabeth M S
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Lorie D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Hamiwka
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008347:Manifest Anxiety Scale / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept