Child-parent relationships in the care of epileptic children.

We investigated the attitudes of parents toward their epileptic children with the “Taken” diagnostic test for child-parent relationships. Included were 70 epileptic children, 31 boys and 39 girls, and their parents, 16 fathers and 59 mothers. Patients were divided into group A, 35 children without neurologic complications other than seizures, and group B, 35 children with complications. The results were evaluated by comparing with the normal standard revised by Akasaka et al [7]. The parents of group A and the fathers of group B showed rejection toward their children. The mothers of group B showed attitudes of dotage and anxiety, especially when their children were over 12 years of age and the seizures were not controlled. Our observations suggest that mental health care for the parents of epileptic children is necessary to decrease the psychological conflicts and to prevent untoward effects on their offspring.