Childhood Epilepsy and Asthma: Comparison of Quality of Life

Austin, Joan K.; Smith, Mark; Risinger, Michael W.; McNelis, Angela M.

doi:10.1111/j.1528-1157.1994.tb02481.x

Cited by 185 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Obviously, there is a very important role for the CBCL in the broad-based assessment of childhood behavior and it has been frequently used in the pediatric epilepsy literature. 1,21 Nevertheless, the BRIEF appears to be a worthwhile complement by providing a standardized parent-report measure of EF.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive functioning in childhood epilepsy: parent‐report and cognitive assessment

Parrish

Geary

Jones

et al. 2007

Develop Med Child Neuro

114

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There is considerable interest in the assessment of executive function (EF) in pediatric clinical populations but only a few well-standardized measures exist. We examined EF in 53 children aged 8 to 18 years with recent onset epilepsy (31 males, 22 females) and 50 control children (23 males, 27 females) using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Thirty children had localization-related epilepsy and 23 had idiopathic generalized epilepsy; average duration of 10 months (SD 4y 1mo) and onset age of 11 years 6 months (SD 3y 6mo). The study sample was characterized by good seizure control, with 40 participants taking one antiepileptic drug (AED), one taking two AEDs, and 12 not treated pharmacologically. Children with epilepsy showed greater executive difficulties on both measures than children in the control group. The BRIEF and D-KEFS were significantly correlated, and an 'at-risk' group identified from the BRIEF was more significantly impaired on the D-KEFS than a 'low risk' group. The BRIEF was also a better predictor of performance on the D-KEFS than the Child Behavior Checklist. These findings indicate that children with recent onset epilepsy show significant difficulties in EF, and demonstrate the utility of parent ratings (BRIEF) in the assessment of EF.Cognitive impairment is common in childhood epilepsy and considerable attention has been devoted to identify related seizure characteristics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive functioning in childhood epilepsy: parent‐report and cognitive assessment

Parrish

Geary

Jones

et al. 2007

Develop Med Child Neuro

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interestingly, Norrby et al (24) found that children with controlled epilepsy and no obvious neurodeficits did not differ from aged-matched controls when describing themselves using 39 bipolar adjectives and a VAS of well-being. Austin et al (25), Hoare and Kerley (26), and Carpay et al (27) addressed selected concerns of children with epilepsy, such as relationships with siblings, stigma, self-esteem, and restrictions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy on the Family: A New Scale for Clinical and Research Use

2001

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Summary:Purpose: There is no brief, global instrument available that specifically measures the psychosocial impact of pediatric epilepsy on the family. An 11-item scale was created for parents' use to evaluate the influence of epilepsy on the major aspects of their family and child's life. This will be a helpful tool both in the clinical setting and as an outcome measure for research studies.Methods: Mothers rated their child's quality of life on a visual analogue scale (1-6) and completed the Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy Scale (IPES), which assesses the impact on academic achievement, participation in activities, health, relationships with family and with peers and siblings, social activities, self-esteem, and the caregiver's hopes for their child's future adapted from the scale developed by Jacoby. External validation was determined by comparison of the IPES with physicians' reports of the characteristics of the child's epilepsy and neurological limitations and parents' ratings on the Family Environment Scale or Parenting Stress Index. In addition, each school-aged child completed the Piers-Harris Children's SelfConcept Scale, Brother-Sister Questionnaire, and Loneliness Scale. Teachers of children completed the Academic Performance Rating Scale. Seven days later, retest reliability of the IPES was evaluated.Results: Ninety-seven mothers of children aged 2-16 years completed the IPES and the appropriate family and age-related questionnaires. Internal validation on the IPES yielded a Cronbach's a for the scale of 0.92. A significant Pearson's correlation indicated that total scores were consistent over time (r ‫ס‬ 0.81). Spearman's correlations for the individual items were also significant, ranging from 0.48 to 0.78. Significant Spearman's correlations also indicated that quality of life was negatively related to impact on each of the 11 items of psychosocial function. Children with IPES scores above the median differed in some psychosocial aspects from those who scored below. Their parents were more stressed, their siblings were more respectful, they had lower self-esteem, and they experienced more emotional problems. Total impact was also significantly related to seizure frequency, total number of medications taken, number of visits to a physician in the previous year, and number of nights spent in hospital for neurological reasons. Conclusions:The IPES is an accurate, acceptable, and quick measurement tool that reflects the way in which childhood epilepsy has an impact on the child and on family life. It may be helpful in routine clinical care and may be useful in the research setting to find ways to improve the lives of children with epilepsy. Key Words: Pediatric-EpilepsyQuality of life.Epilepsy is a frequent chronic illness in children. The psychosocial impact of epilepsy on the child and family's everyday life depends on several factors, including (a) the severity of the epilepsy; (b) the complexity of the clinical management; (c) the meaning of the illness to the child, family, and society as a whole; ...

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“…We focused on child attitudes because children with more negative attitudes toward having epilepsy had been found to have poorer adjustment in past research (Austin et al, 1994;LeBovidge et al, 2005). We considered attitude toward the condition to be an important influence on adjustment and developed a preliminary model with concepts that might be predictors of child attitude.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our past research has suggested that children's attitudes toward having epilepsy might influence their psychosocial adjustment. For example, we found more positive attitudes toward epilepsy to be associated with more positive selfconcepts (Austin & Huberty, 1993), greater use of adaptive coping strategies (Austin, Patterson, & Huberty, 1991), and fewer behavior problems (Austin, Smith, Risinger, & McNelis, 1994). Child attitude toward illness was conceptualized as an important influence on adjustment in a recent study of children with chronic arthritis (LeBovidge, Lavigne, & Miller, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth With Epilepsy: Development of a Model of Children's Attitudes Toward Their Condition

Austin¹,

Dunn²,

Perkins³

et al. 2006

Children's Health Care

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A model of children's attitudes toward their epilepsy was tested in 173 children (9-14 years) with epilepsy and their parents. Predictor variables tested were child characteristics, family mastery, child worry, child self-efficacy for seizure management, child psychosocial care needs, and seizure variables. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, leading to a revised model in which less child worry, greater family mastery, and greater child seizure self-efficacy were directly related to more child positive attitudes. Discussion focuses on potential targets for psychosocial interventions aimed at improving attitudes toward epilepsy.Epilepsy, or recurrent unprovoked seizures, is the most common serious neurological disorder in childhood (Hauser, 1994;Shorvon, 1996). Children and adolescents with epilepsy are at risk for mental health problems such as poor self-concept and depression (Ettinger et al., 1998;McDermott, Mani, & Krishnaswami, 1995). Our past research has suggested that children's attitudes toward having epilepsy might influence their psychosocial adjustment. For example, we found more positive attitudes toward epilepsy to be associated with more positive selfconcepts (Austin & Huberty, 1993), greater use of adaptive coping strategies (Austin, Patterson, & Huberty, 1991), and fewer behavior problems (Austin, Smith, Risinger, & McNelis, 1994). Child attitude toward illness was conceptualized as an important influence on adjustment in a recent study of children with chronic arthritis (LeBovidge, Lavigne, & Miller, 2005). In that study, children's attitudes toward their condition were found to moderate the relation between stress and child adjustment. These authors proposed that a positive attitude buffers the impact of increased stress (LeBovidge, Lavigne, & Miller, 2005). These findings suggested that identifying variables that might predict child attitude toward illness would provide a foundation for the development of psychosocial care interventions to enhance positive attitudes and, ultimately, psychosocial adjustment in children with chronic illness (Lavigne & Miller, 2005). CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES TOWARD THEIR CONDITION: PRELIMINARY MODELAttitude theory and past empirical research influenced our selection of concepts for a preliminary model to predict children's attitudes toward having epilepsy (see preliminary model in Figure 1). A goal was to include predictive factors in the model that might be amenable to psychosocial interventions (Lavigne & Faier-Routman, 1993). In the preliminary model, six factors were identified as either direct or indirect predictors of child attitude: child characteristics, family environment, child worry about having epilepsy, child self-efficacy for seizure management, child psychosocial care needs, and seizure variables. Child worry and Correspondence should be sent to J. K. Austin, Indiana University, School of Nursing, 1111 Middle Drive NU492, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5107. E-mail: joausti@iupui.edu. self-efficacy were proposed to be mediating varia...

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Childhood Epilepsy and Asthma: Comparison of Quality of Life

Cited by 185 publications

References 30 publications

Executive functioning in childhood epilepsy: parent‐report and cognitive assessment

Executive functioning in childhood epilepsy: parent‐report and cognitive assessment

Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy on the Family: A New Scale for Clinical and Research Use

Youth With Epilepsy: Development of a Model of Children's Attitudes Toward Their Condition

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