Self-reported symptoms of psychological well-being in young adults who underwent resective epilepsy surgery in childhood

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of childhood resective surgery for lesional epilepsy and recent seizure history on self-reported symptoms of mood and psychological distress in young adults (aged 18-30). Ninety-eight individuals with epilepsy of childhood onset were divided into three groups: a seizure-free surgical group (n = 39), a surgical group still experiencing seizures (n = 31), and a nonsurgical epilepsy comparison group (n = 28). Participants completed two standardized questionnaires about current mood state and psychological and psychiatric symptoms: the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R). Forty-eight percent of all participants reported a history of psychological problems. The percentage of the seizure-free surgical group who met the SCL-90R criteria for current clinically significant distress was statistically less than in the other groups. Those who were seizure free also reported significantly fewer total symptoms on the SCL-90R. The current number of antiepileptic medications was related to scores on a number of the scales. These results provide modest support for the contention that seizure freedom after pediatric epilepsy surgery is associated with reduced risk for psychological distress during early adulthood.