Behavior Problems in Children With Epilepsy (Age 6–14 years): A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Background Epilepsy's psychological effects are variable, some may experience a few mental health issues while some may experience serious problems such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder (ADHD), and mood disorders. Hence, there is a need to screen these problems at an early age for timely intervention. So, our study was conducted to determine the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children with epilepsy. Methods This was a prospective observational study on 111 children, 6 to 14 years of age. The overall prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in childhood was determined by calculating the percentage of children with child behavior checklist score indicative of specific emotional and behavioral problems. The prevalence for specific morbidities was also calculated and reported separately for each condition. Results were presented in the form of tables, charts, graphs, and narratives. Results The overall prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children was 38.7%. Attention problem (13.5%), aggressive behavior (10.8%), social problems (8.1%), and withdrawal/depression (6.3%) were the four leading syndromes. The prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems was significantly associated with the age of onset of epilepsy, type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures, and antiepileptic drug therapy used by child. Conclusion As there is a higher prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children with epilepsy, age of onset, frequency of seizure, and duration of diseases were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of behavioral problems. Therefore, prompt and early screening for these problems, as well as integrated management consisting of pharmacotherapy, behavioral modification, parental education and counselling, psychotherapy and psychoeducation would help to reduce their effect in these patients.