Epilepsy is one of the three most common neurological disorders in childhood. Adaptational problems that are commonly associated with childhood epilepsy have been poorly understood and neglected according to the 1977 Commission for the Control of Epilepsy and Its Consequences. The proposed research, which builds on three previous studies by the principal investigator, will systematically investigate those factors identified in the Double ABCX Model of Adaptation and relevant literature as affecting adaptation to childhood epilepsy. Factors under investigation will be: Child and Family Adaptation, Accumulation of Stressors and Strain, Family Adaptive Resources, Attitudes toward Epilepsy, Coping Patterns, Seizure Variables and Demographic variables. The primary aim of the proposed study is to identify those important factors related to poor child and family adaptation to childhood epilepsy. Family adaptation will be measured using the Family APGAR and the Family Assessment Device. Child adaptation will be measured using Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist and the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. Attitudes will be measured using the Fishbein Expectancy-Value Model and semantic differentials. Other instruments include the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, the Family Inventory of Resources for Management, the Coping Health Inventory for Parents, and the Coping Health Inventory for Children. Key demographic and seizure variables will be socioeconomic status, gender of parent and child, seizure type, seizure frequency, and age of onset of seizures. The sample will be 125 children with epilepsy who are ages 8 through 12 years and their parents. The children will have no other limitations and will not be mentally retarded. Families from both clinics and private practice will compose the sample. Multivariate and univariate analyses will be employed to determine the contribution of various factors to child and family adaptation. Causal modeling techniques will be employed to test the relationships specified in the Double ABCX Model of Family Adaptation. Results of this study will aid in the identification of families and children at risk for poor adaptation and be used for the development of nursing interventions to facilitate adaptation to childhood epilepsy.
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