Abstracts

Rationale: Pediatric epilepsy extends far beyond seizures and influences child and parental well-being. The long-term outcome of parental well-being, particularly health-related quality of life (HRQOL), is unknown. This study aims to describe the HRQOL for mothers whose children were diagnosed with epilepsy 10 years prior, and identify child/epilepsy, maternal and family factors associated with HRQOL. Understanding these determinants is crucial because parental well-being has been shown to significantly impact the cognitive and psychosocial functioning of children with epilepsy.  Methods: Data come from the Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study (HERQULES), a Canada-wide prospective cohort study of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Mothers completed a mailed questionnaire; the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12-v2) was completed at the 10-year follow-up to evaluate the physical and mental health components of mothers’ HRQOL. The SF-12v2 generates T-scores (mean 50, SD 10) based on US population norms, with higher scores indicative of better HRQOL. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to identify child/epilepsy, maternal/family, and maternal psychological functioning variables associated with physical and mental health components of mothers’ HRQOL. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 159 mothers (43% of the original sample) at the 10 year follow-up. At follow-up, 69% of patients had been seizure-free for the past five years, and 86% had been seizure-free for the past year. Mothers scored similarly to similar aged women in the general population on the mental health subscale (mean 49.5, SD 9.3) and significantly, though marginally, better on the physical health subscale (mean 53.0, SD 7.6). Hierarchical linear regression identified family resources as the only significant predictor of the physical health subscale (B=0.20, p=.02). Better family environment was associated with higher (better) scores on the mental health subscale, with the final model accounting for 76% of the variation in scores. Family functioning (B=0.34, p=.02), and parental depressive symptoms (B=0.33, p p < .001) had the strongest impact on the mental health subscale. Epilepsy characteristics were not associated with the physical or mental health components of HRQOL. Conclusions: Ten years after the diagnosis of epilepsy in children, the HRQOL of mothers was similar to the general population. This study identified factors contributing to diminished maternal HRQOL and highlights the importance of family and psychosocial factors over epilepsy-related variables. Funding: K. Speechley. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Operating Grants, (MOP-64311 &  MOP-115015).K. Puka. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's.