Impact of psychiatric morbidity on parent-rated quality of life in Nigerian adolescents with epilepsy

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents with epilepsy, their impact on the quality of life has not been sufficiently studied. Adolescents with epilepsy (n=90) aged 12 to 18 were assessed for anxiety and depressive disorders with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version IV (DISC-IV), and their quality of life was assessed with the parent-rated Impact of Childhood Illness Scale (ICIS). Sociodemographic and illness variables were also obtained. Predictors of poor quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy include anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, frequency of seizures, and side effects of antiepileptic drugs. Depressive and anxiety disorders impacted on both the adolescents and the family. Programs designed to improve the overall quality of life of these adolescents should include the evaluation and treatment of possible comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders and involve the family.