Impact of pediatric epilepsy on Indian families: Influence of psychopathology and seizure related variables

The impact of epilepsy on families has been little studied in the developing countries, where it is the most common neurological disorder among children. In Vellore, India, the impact on 132 families who had a child with epilepsy was rated with the Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy on the Family Scale (IPES). An adverse impact was experienced by 42% of families. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed four factors that were significantly associated with high impact: fewer years since diagnosis (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71–0.93), fewer months since last seizure (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.39–0.87), treatment with multiple antiepileptic drugs (OR = 4.34, 95% CI = 1.22–15.52), and increased behavior problem scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05–1.14). Factor analysis of the IPES was also conducted as a comparison with earlier findings in a developed country. We suggest that early monotherapy should be employed whenever possible and that early recognition and treatment of associated psychological problems may help to reduce the burden on families.