@article{736,
  keywords = {family, Health-related quality of life, Pediatric epilepsy},
  author = {Lauryn Conway and Mary Smith and Mark Ferro and Kathy Speechley and Mary Connoly and Carter Snead and Elysa Widjaja and PEPSQOL Team},
  title = {Correlates of health-related quality of life in children with drug resistant epilepsy.},
  abstract = {<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is compromised in children with epilepsy. The current study aimed to identify correlates of HRQL in children with drug resistant epilepsy.</p><p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Data came from 115 children enrolled in the Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery on Health-Related Quality of Life Study (PEPSQOL), a multicenter prospective cohort study. Individual, clinical, and family factors were evaluated. HRQL was measured using the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE), a parent-rated epilepsy-specific instrument, with composite scores ranging from 0 to 100. A series of univariable linear regression analyses were conducted to identify significant associations with HRQL, followed by a multivariable regression analysis.</p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Children had a mean age of 11.85 {\textpm} 3.81 years and 65 (56.5\%) were male. The mean composite QOLCE score was 60.18 {\textpm} 16.69. Child age, sex, age at seizure onset, duration of epilepsy, caregiver age, caregiver education, and income were not significantly associated with HRQL. Univariable regression analyses revealed that a higher number of anti-seizure medications (p = 0.020), lower IQ (p = 0.002), greater seizure frequency (p = 0.048), caregiver unemployment (p = 0.010), higher caregiver depressive and anxiety symptoms (p \&lt; 0.001 for both), poorer family adaptation, fewer family resources, and a greater number of family demands (p \&lt; 0.001 for all) were associated with lower HRQL. Multivariable regression analysis showed that lower child IQ (β = 0.20, p = 0.004), fewer family resources (β = 0.43, p = 0.012), and caregiver unemployment (β = 6.53, p = 0.018) were associated with diminished HRQL in children.</p><p><strong>SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>The results emphasize the importance of child cognition and family variables in the HRQL of children with drug-resistant epilepsy. The findings speak to the importance of offering comprehensive care to children and their families to address the nonmedical features that impact on HRQL.</p>},
  year = {2016},
  journal = {Epilepsia},
  volume = {57},
  pages = {1256-64},
  month = {08/2016},
  issn = {1528-1167},
  doi = {10.1111/epi.13441},
  language = {eng},
}