The impact of child and mother's characteristics on the adjustment of children with epilepsy

Abstract

Which variables facilitate adaptation of children with epilepsy? In this explorative study, we hypothesized a relationship between child's adjustment and some variables which still did not examine in this context mother's view of epilepsy as a severe illness and specific personality variables of the mother (extroversion–introversion and neuroticism), and the child's score on the extroversion–introversion dimension. The subjects were 27 children with epilepsy aged 8–18 years and their mothers. Self-report questionnaires for the children and their mothers and Eysenck Personality Inventories were the measuring instruments. The research findings showed that the level of adjustment was significantly higher in children whose mothers perceive epilepsy as a non-severe illness; children who think their mothers perceive epilepsy as a non-severe illness; extrovert children; and children who have a healthy relationship with their parents and their siblings. On the other hand, there were no evident relationships between levels of the child's adjustment and mother's personality characteristics: extroversion–introversion and neuroticism.