Parenting stress and childhood epilepsy: The impact of depression, learning, and seizure-related factors

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate stress in parents of children with epilepsy relative to the impact of childhood depression, learning disorders, and seizure-related risk factors. Methods: Sixty-five parents and their children completed the Parenting Stress Index, Child Depression Inventory, and behavior and demographic forms. Kruska-Wallis ANOVAs and Spearman's rank correlations were used in a cross-sectional study design. Results: High levels of stress were found among the parents (45%). Overall, child depression (23%) was found to significantly increase the distress parents experienced in their role (P < 0.05). Another risk factor found to impact parenting stress was learning disabilities (P < 0.01). The seizure-related factors of polytherapy, duration, and age at onset were correlated with depression (P < 0.05). Conclusion: To effectively manage children with epilepsy, assessments of depression and learning must be considered because of their potential impact on parenting stress and the child's overall quality of life. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.