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Health‐related Quality of Life and Self‐perceived Competence of Children Assessed before and up to Two Years after Epilepsy Surgery
Author(s) -
Van Empelen Ron,
JennekensSchinkel Aag,
Van Rijen Peter C.,
Helders Paul J. M.,
Van Nieuwenhuizen Onno
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.0013-9580.2005.27304.x
Subject(s) - epilepsy , epilepsy surgery , competence (human resources) , psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , psychiatry , psychotherapist , social psychology
Summary: Purpose: To measure outcome of epilepsy surgery in terms of health‐related quality of life (HrQoL) and self‐perceived competence of children and adolescents. Methods: Prospective longitudinal follow‐up study of 21 patients (aged 6.2 to 16.8 years). Frequency and severity of seizures and epilepsy‐related restrictions, HrQoL, and self‐perceived competence were rated before and 6, 12, and 24 months after epilepsy surgery. Data were analysed nonparametrically and using analysis of variance for repeated measures. Results: Group‐wise, seizure parameters had almost normalized 6 months after surgery (p < 0.001) and remained so. Two years after surgery, 15 (72%) patients were free of seizures. At the first postsurgical assessment, parents and children evaluated the frequency of activities as improved and that of seizures as diminished (p < 0.05). Parents evaluated their children as having positive emotions more frequently (p < 0.05). Children started to feel better about seizure variables in the second year after surgery. Two years after surgery, children perceived themselves as being socially more competent and having greater self‐worth (p = 0.05). In the adolescent group, several aspects of self‐perceived competence improved shortly after surgery (p < 0.05), whereas 2 years after surgery, athletic competence and romance had improved (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In children and adolescents, epilepsy surgery sets the stage for improvement in HrQoL and in competence to participate in social and societal domains. Most improvement occurs in the first 6 months after surgery.