title: Development and validation of the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and validate a measure of antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects in children with a variety of seizure types, treatments, and therapy durations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Content for an initial 44-item measure was developed using the previously published Hague Scale and expert opinion from recognized pediatric epileptologists (n = 12) and caregivers of children with epilepsy (n = 21). The measure was completed by caregivers during routine clinic visits. Demographic and medical data were collected through chart reviews. Factor analysis was conducted and internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires were analyzed from 495 children with epilepsy (M(age) = 10.1 years; range 2-21 years; 42% female; 14% African American; 32% new onset vs 68% chronic epilepsy). The final questionnaire, the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire (PESQ), is a 19-item measure with 5 subscales (i.e., cognitive, motor, behavioral, general neurological, and weight) that accounts for 99% of the variance. Internal consistency coefficients and test-retest reliabilities ranged from 0.72 to 0.93 and 0.74 to 0.97, respectively. Construct validity was demonstrated by increasing side effects as the number of drugs increased. Participants on valproic acid had significantly higher scores on the Weight Scale compared to those on carbamazepine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PESQ is a reliable and valid measure of AED side effects in children across the epilepsy spectrum that can be used in both clinical and research settings.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.diego.morita@cchmc.org
authors.forename: Diego A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Glauser
authors.forename: Avani C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Modi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants