Abstracts

Children with epilepsy are at risk for long-term psychosocial problems compared to healthy children or children with other health conditions, which may be due to peer difficulties. Peer relationships influence children[apos]s immediate and lifelong social and emotional well-being, and research shows that children with epilepsy have more peer difficulties than do healthy children or children with other health conditions.
Few studies investigate variables related to peer problems in children with epilepsy. Inattentive behavior, anxious behavior, and academic difficulties are linked to peer problems among healthy children; these same variables are likely related to peer problems among children with epilepsy. Yet, also examining if epilepsy-related factors such as neuropsychological functioning and seizure characteristics are associated with peer difficulties is important because it may clarify why children with epilepsy are at greater risk for peer problems compared to other children. Hence, the current study determined if epilepsy-related factors such as neuropsychological deficits, greater seizure frequency, and earlier age at epilepsy onset as well as behavioral/academic factors such as inattentive behavior, anxious behavior, and academic difficulties are related to peer problems in children with epilepsy., Participants were 173 children with epilepsy, ages 8-15. Correlations among predictor and outcome variables were examined to determine their interrelations with one another; structural equation modeling was used to investigate simultaneous interrelations among latent factors., The measurement model indicated that correlations among the behavioral, academic, epilepsy-related, and peer difficulty factors were significant and in the predicted direction. The structural model revealed that the neuropsychological factor mediated the relation between age at epilepsy onset and the behavioral, academic, and peer difficulty factors; anxious behavior and inattentive behavior mediated the relation between the neuropsychological and peer difficulty factors; anxious behavior mediated the relation between seizure frequency and the peer difficulty factor., Neuropsychological deficits and greater seizure frequency may have a direct influence on behavior problems in children with epilepsy and, therefore, may affect their peer relations. Thus, when treating behavioral and peer difficulties in children with epilepsy, mental health professionals may wish to consult with neuropsychologists and physicians regarding the potential influence of neuropsychological and seizure-related variables., (Supported by National Institute of Nursing Research grant PHS R01 NR04536 awarded to Joan K. Austin, DNS, RN, FAAN.)