title: The impact of a new pediatric epilepsy diagnosis on parents: parenting stress and activity patterns.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare parenting stress and activity patterns in parents of children with new-onset epilepsy (NOE, n=30) and parents of children without epilepsy (controls, n=29). Participants completed parenting stress measures and Daily Phone Diaries, a cued-recall procedure to track parents through their activities over a 24-h period. No significant differences were found in parenting stress, with the exception of a higher proportion of parents of children with NOE experiencing life stress compared with parents of controls (P<0.05). Results indicated parents of children with NOE spent more time in medical care (F=4.4, P<0.05) and less time in recreation outside of the home (F=5.6, P<0.05) compared with parents of controls. These findings have important implications for family adaptation to a new epilepsy diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Center for the Promotion of Adherence and Self Management, MLC-7039, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
authors.forename: Avani C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Modi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003463:Cues; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011998:Recreation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*