A-141 Pediatric Epilepsy Severity Relates to Adverse Childhood Experiences

Abstract

Objective: The impact of acute stress on seizure frequency and severity is well documented in pediatric epilepsy (van Campen et al., 2012). The extent to which specific chronic stressors such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) impact epilepsy severity is unknown. This study aims to examine the impact of specific ACES on epilepsy severity. Method: Data from the 2019-2020 National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey, were used. Variables for epilepsy severity were recoded to exclude responses from subjects without epilepsy (remaining responses were recoded 0 for Mild, 1 for Moderate and Severe) (N=457). Chi square tests were run with ACES categories that had dichotomous variables, and independent t-tests were run for ones with ordinal variables. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between epilepsy severity and the child’s parent or guardian serving time in jail [X₂ (1, N= 451) = 6.16, p= .013], with a small effect size (.11), and between epilepsy severity and difficulty covering basic needs on family income [t(457)= -2.00, p= .046]. Other ACES did not significantly relate to epilepsy severity. Conclusion: Effective treatment of pediatric epilepsy involves holistic analysis of ongoing stressors in the family, and use of appropriate social services resources may aid in reducing epilepsy severity. Further research is needed on impacts of parental incarceration and financial instability over other adverse experiences.