Effects of parental gender and level of education on the quality of life and general health of pediatric patients with epilepsy: An outpatient cross-sectional survey

The quality of life (QOL) of children with epilepsy has been widely studied, and several problems related to cognition, behavior, social lives, and physical activity among these children have been reported. Family life and parental care are important aspects of the lives of these patients. The impact of parental education on the QOL of pediatric patients with epilepsy is an understudied topic, especially in developing countries. In this study, we investigated the QOL and general health (GH) of patients with epilepsy presenting at the pediatric neurology clinic at Baqiyatallah Hospital and a private clinic. The Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) questionnaire, which is a 92-item epilepsy-specific questionnaire covering physical activity, well-being, cognition, behavior, social activity, overall QOL, and GH, was used for interviewing parents. A total of 106 patients (m = 61, 57.5% and f = 45, 42.5%) aged 5-17 years (mean: 10.31 ± 2.91) participated in the study. Overall, there was no significant difference between the QOL and GH results of male and female patients. However, the maternal education level had a significant impact on the overall QOL (high school: 3.02 ± 0.85 vs. B.Sc.: 3.67 ± 0.61, p < 0.05) and GH (high school: 2.81 ± 0.79 vs. B.Sc.: 3.8 ± 0.94, p < 0.05) of male patients, while paternal education had no significant effect. A multiple linear regression showed that the maternal education level had an independently significant association with the physical activity of the patients (p = 0.02, CI: 1.4-6.25), and the paternal education level had an independently significant association with the well-being of the patients (p = 0.02, CI: 0.43-5.36). In addition, the maternal education level (high school vs. B.Sc.) had a significant effect on physical activity, well-being, cognition, and behavior for all of the patients (p < 0.05), while the paternal education level (high school vs. B.Sc.) had no significant impact. However, in a comparison of high school vs. higher education, paternal education had a significant effect on patients' physical activity and well-being (p < 0.05). We conclude that parental levels of education play a significant role in various aspects of the lives and GH of children with epilepsy. Maternal education, in particular, plays a significant role in GH and the overall QOL of male patients. Further research is suggested to identify the socioeconomic and cultural factors responsible for these findings.