Effects of epilepsy education on the academic achievement and quality of life of children with epilepsy

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy can have a huge impact on children's quality of life and participation and attainment at school, particularly if the condition is poorly managed. Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of education about disease and drug management given to children, their family and teachers on the academic success and quality of life of the child. Design: The study was a single group, pre-test, post-test, semi-experimental research study. Methods: The study was carried out in the paediatric neurology outpatient clinic of the Tepecik Education and Research Hospital in Turkey. The study sample comprised 65 people (25 patients, 25 parents and 15 teachers) who completed the pre-test and post-test assessments. The Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Quality of Life Scale in Children with Epilepsy and an academic achievement form were completed before the epilepsy education was given. Parents and children had training at the hospital. The teachers had telephone training. Some 3 months after the training, the scores for the Quality of Life Scale in Children with Epilepsy and the academic achievement form were reassessed. Findings: The comparison of the pre- and post-training Quality of Life scale scores of the children (p=0.000) and academic achievement scores of the children (p=0.017; n=15) demonstrated a significant increase. There was a significant difference between the quality of life scores of the participating children who received special education and those of the children who did not receive special education (p=0.007 and p=0.004, respectively). Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that providing training on epilepsy, not only for children but also for their families and teachers, would be beneficial.