Investigation and Analysis About the Knowledge of Epilepsy and Psychological Status of the Parents of Children With Epilepsy in Sichuan Area

Objective To investigate and analyze the knowledge about epilepsy and psychological status of the parents of children with epilepsy in Sichuan area. Methods Form May to July 2011, 202 parents were surveyed when their children with epilepsy were accepting video electroencephalogram(VEEG) monitoring in our hospital, and divided into group A(n=108)and group B(n=94) according to children's treatment.The investigated content included background of the parents and their children, parents'knowledge about epilepsy and the psychological status of the family. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Board of Investigation in Human Being of West China Second University Hospital.Informed consent was obtained from each parent. Results The percentages of parents who had very good knowledge about epilepsy were all less than 5%. Parents from group A showed better understanding about epilepsy than those of group B(P 0.05). More than 80% parents in both groups not only cared about the treatment effects of the antiepileptic drugs but also their side effects, and the difference between two groups was not statistically significant(P>0.05). Conclusions It is very necessary to educate parents of epileptic children about the knowledge of epilepsy, meanwhile physicians should pay more attention to the psychological health of the family with epileptic children. Key words: epilepsy; children; parents; knowledge; psychological status