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Maternal expressed emotion and treatment compliance of children with epilepsy
Author(s) -
Otero Soraya,
Hodes Matthew
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2000.tb00365.x
Subject(s) - rutter , psychosocial , hostility , epilepsy , attendance , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , compliance (psychology) , intervention (counseling) , assertiveness , medicine , pediatrics , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , social psychology , economics , economic growth
This study investigated the association between family relationships and compliance in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. It was a prospective study of 21 families with a child who had epilepsy attending Central Middlesex Hospital, London. There were 13 boys and eight girls, with a mean age of 12.0 years(SD 2.9) at initial assessment. Mothers were interviewed for assessment of expressed emotion as a measure of parent‐child relationships. Assessment of the mothers’adjustment using the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg 1978), and psychological adjustment of the children using the Rutter Scales (Rutter et al. 1970a), were completed by mothers and teachers. Reassessment was 3 to 4 years after initial contact, including a paediatric case‐note review to assess clinic attendance and overall treatment compliance. Significantly more of the group who had a good level of compliance had recovered from epilepsy at follow‐up. Good treatment compliance was found to be associated with less maternal hostility and criticism. Children and mothers in the good compliance group had fewer psychiatric symptoms. Poor treatment compliance and the associated psychological disturbances suggest that assertive paediatric and psychosocial intervention may be needed for some children with epilepsy.