Parenting stress and perceived stigma in mothers of young children with epilepsy: A case–control study

Publication date: December 2018Source: Epilepsy & Behavior, Volume 89Author(s): Colin Reilly, Patricia Atkinson, Ayesha Memon, Chloe Jones, Lyvia Dabydeen, Krishna B. Das, J. Helen Cross, Brian G.R. Neville, Christopher Gillberg, Rod C. ScottAbstractThe aim was to provide data on parenting stress and perceived stigma in mothers (n = 47) of young children with epilepsy, and to compare findings with those of mothers (n = 48) of developmental, age- and gender-matched children with nonepilepsy-related neurodisability (neurological and/or neurodevelopmental concerns). The mothers of young children (1–7 years) with epilepsy and mothers of children with neurodisability in a defined geographical area of the UK, completed the Parenting Stress Index—4th Edition (PSI-4) and a measure of perceived stigma. Factors associated with parenting stress and stigma were analyzed using linear regression. Thirty-eight percent of mothers of children with epilepsy scored in the at-risk range (> 85th percentile) on the Total Stress score of the PSI-4 (Neurodisability 21%) (p = 0.06). Significantly more mothers of children with epilepsy scored in the at-risk range on the Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale than mothers of children with neurodisability (Epilepsy 45% vs. Neurodisability 21%; p = 0.01), but not on the Parental Distress subscale (Epilepsy 32% vs. Neurodisability 23%; p = 0.33) or Difficult Child (Epilepsy 57% vs. Neurodisability 46%; p = 0.2...
Source: Epilepsy and Behavior - Category: Neurology Source Type: research