ASSESSING THE BURDEN OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN WITH SEIZURE AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE
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Keywords
Epilepsy, Children, Mental health, Quality of life, CBCL, PedsQL
Abstract
Background: Children with epilepsy are at significantly higher risk of developing mental health problems compared to the general pediatric population. These psychiatric comorbidities can profoundly affect their quality of life (QoL) and overall functioning.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of mental health problems in children with seizure disorders and evaluate their impact on quality of life.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 100 children aged 6-14 years diagnosed with epilepsy attending the pediatric neurology outpatient department. Mental health was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and quality of life was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests.
Results: Mental health problems were identified in 38% of children with seizures. ADHD was the most prevalent disorder (26%), followed by anxiety disorders (18%) and depression (12%). Children with psychiatric comorbidities demonstrated significantly lower PedsQL scores across all domains (p<0.001). Uncontrolled seizures, polytherapy, and lower socioeconomic status were independent predictors of poor mental health outcomes.
Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidities are common in children with epilepsy and significantly impair their quality of life. Routine mental health screening should be integrated into comprehensive epilepsy care.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Dr. Anand Kumar Patidar
Assistant Professor , Dept Of Community Medicine , Government Medical College, Ratlam.
Dr. Mahesh Gupta
Assistant Professor , Dept Of Community Medicine , Government Medical College, Ratla
Dr. Preeti Gupta
PGMO- Ophthalmology , District Hospital, Ratlam.
Dr. Sunil Rajpoot
Assistant Professor, Dept of Anaesthesia , LN Medical College, Bhopal.
