Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms and Parental Stress

Operto, Francesca Felicia; Coppola, Giangennaro; Vivenzio, Valentina; Scuoppo, Chiara; Padovano, Chiara; Simone, Valeria De; Rinaldi, Rosetta; Belfiore, Gilda; Sica, Gianpiero; Morcaldi, Lucia; D'Onofrio, Floriana; Olivieri, Miriam; Donadio, Serena; Roccella, Michele; Carotenuto, Marco; Viggiano, Andrea; Pastorino, Grazia Maria Giovanna

doi:10.3390/ijerph19073795

Cited by 16 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Furthermore, in this regard, we should also consider that our study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this may have been an additional factor that impacted parental stress [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Some recent research showed that the COVID-19 pandemic can be a source of parental stress in parents of children and adolescents with various neuropsychiatric conditions, including epilepsy [ 33 , 34 ]. On the other hand, an observational study by Armeno and colleagues (2022) [ 35 ] did not highlight additional difficulties in managing the KD during the COVID-19 pandemic and supported the feasibility and safety of initiating and managing the KD by telemedicine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ketogenic Diet in Children with Epilepsy: A Focus on Parental Stress and Family Compliance

et al. 2023

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(1) Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate parental stress after 6 and 12 months of a ketogenic diet, considering demographic and clinical variables (epilepsy type, epilepsy duration, seizure number, antiseizure medications, comorbidities, efficacy, and adverse events). (2) Methods: We consecutively enrolled 36 children aged between 3 and 10 years who had been diagnosed with various types of drug-resistant epilepsy and who were in therapy with a ketogenic diet for better seizure control. A standardized neuropsychological questionnaire (Parenting Stress Index–PSI) was administered to the parents evaluating parental stress at baseline (T0), after 6 (T1) months, and after 12 months (T2). (3) Results: After 6 and 12 months of dietary treatment, Parental Distress and Total Stress mean scores were statistically significantly increased. Post hoc analysis showed no significant changes in the scores between T0 and T1, although there was a significant increase between T1 and T2. We did not find statistically significant relationships between parental stress and the other variables considered. (4) Conclusion: The ketogenic diet can be challenging for parents and can affect the perception of parental stress, especially in the long term. Parents may feel inadequate in their role; therefore, they should be helped and encouraged through additional supports in order to maximize the adherence to diet therapy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ketogenic Diet in Children with Epilepsy: A Focus on Parental Stress and Family Compliance

et al. 2023

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“…To our knowledge, there are no other previous studies that specifically evaluated stress changes in parents of epileptic children taking PER, but in previous research we found that high level of parental stress was found in parents of children with epilepsy, even in the mildest forms ( 37 – 39 ). In our work, we did not find significant changes in stress levels perceived by parents after the addition of PER.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Perampanel and childhood absence epilepsy: A real life experience

et al. 2022

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ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of perampanel (PER) as first add-on and as second line monotherapy in subjects with childhood absence epilepsy.MethodsOur sample consisted of 20 patients with childhood absence epilepsy, aged between 8 and 10, already in therapy with a first antiseizure medication with incomplete seizure control. PER was added as first add-on in a dose ranging from 3 to 8 mg/die with 1- 2 mg/week increments. The patients that were seizure-free were shifted to a PER monotherapy. All patients underwent a standardized neuropsychological evaluation in order to assess non-verbal intelligence and executive functions before adding PER and after 6 months of drug therapy. All parents completed two questionnaires, in order to assess the emotional-behavioral problems and parental stress.Results15/20 patients responded to add-on PER and were seizure-free, in 3/20 patients we observed a reduction of seizure frequency <50%, and in the 2 remaining patients the add-on therapy with PER did not lead to a reduction in seizures frequency from baseline. The patients who were seizure-free were switched to PER monotherapy. 9/15 patients remained seizure-free in monotherapy with PER. In the first month of therapy with PER 2/20 patients (10%) reported mild, transient side effects of irritability, headache and dizziness, which did not lead to discontinuation of therapy. Adjunctive treatment with PER did not negatively affect non-verbal intelligence, executive functions, emotional/behavioral symptoms of children and parental stress levels.SignificanceOur clinical experience in real life showed that PER appears to be effective in the control of absence seizures in childhood absence epilepsy, with a favorable tolerability profile. PER would seem effective on absence seizures even in monotherapy. Further studies with larger samples, longer follow-up and controlled vs. placebo (or other first choice antiseizure medications) are needed to confirm our data.

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“…The most relevant aspect of our research concerns psychological problems that, as described by other authors, compromise the daily activities in school-age children ( 19 ). The standardised scales we used for the assessment ( 27 – 29 , 31 – 35 ) revealed that a large percentage of children aged 8–16 years developed symptoms of social and separation anxiety (37%), panic (32%), tension (30%), obsessive-compulsive tendencies (23%), and generalised anxiety (28%) related to the presence of neurological symptoms ( Table 4 ). Although small in number, some children had depression and PTSD symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children-A (TSCC-A) ( 29 ) is a self-assessment questionnaire for children aged 8–16 years, consisting of 44 items and five clinical scales (Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Post-traumatic Stress, and Dissociation). Standardised scores > 65 are considered significant; scores <65 are not significant.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurological and psychological effects of long COVID in a young population: A cross-sectional study

Guido

Lucidi²,

Midulla³

et al. 2022

Front. Neurol.

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AimWe evaluated the long-term clinical status of pediatric patients after testing positive for COVID-19. We hypothesized that there are similar symptoms to those that have been described in adults and children and that pediatric patients with neurophysiologic symptoms still present 3–5 months after infection have psychological consequences that interfere with their adaptive functioning.MethodWe recruited 322 COVID-19-positive pediatric patients, between 1.5 and 17 years old, from the outpatient clinic for COVID-19 follow-up. Neurological symptoms were analyzed at onset, after 1 month, and after 3–5 months. A psychological assessment with standardized questionnaires was also conducted to determine the impact of the disease.ResultsAt the onset of COVID-19, 60% of the total sample exhibited symptoms; this decreased after 1 month (20%) but stabilized 3–5 months after disease onset (22%). Prevailing long-COVID neurological symptoms were headache, fatigue, and anosmia. In the 1.5–5-year-old subgroup, internalizing problems emerged in 12% of patients. In the 6–18-year-old subgroup, anxiety and post-traumatic stress showed significant associations with neurological symptoms of long COVID.ConclusionsThese data demonstrate that long COVID presents various broad-spectrum symptoms, including psychological and long-lasting cognitive issues. If not treated, these symptoms could significantly compromise the quality of life of children and adolescents.

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Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms and Parental Stress

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

The Ketogenic Diet in Children with Epilepsy: A Focus on Parental Stress and Family Compliance

The Ketogenic Diet in Children with Epilepsy: A Focus on Parental Stress and Family Compliance

Perampanel and childhood absence epilepsy: A real life experience

Neurological and psychological effects of long COVID in a young population: A cross-sectional study

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