Medication adherence and its relationship with stress, anxiety and depression in parents or caregivers of epileptic children

Background

Epilepsy during childhood can have a highly important effect on the family system. Parents of epileptic children may experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Adherence to treatment has been reported to be suboptimal among children with epilepsy.

Method

In this descriptive, correlational study, the convinience sampling method was used to select 100 caregivers of children with epilepsy, referring to the neurological department and clinic. The required data were collected using the Pediatric Epilepsy Medication Self-Management Questionnaire (PEMSQ) to evaluate parents’ medication self-management, one of which is adherence to treatment. In addition, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was utilized to assess the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in parents.

Result

Based on the results, the mean scores (SD) of depression, anxiety, and stress were 33 (9), 27 (10), and 26 (9), respectively. The total score for medication self-management was 111.72 ± 13.5. Among the four fields of PEMSQ, knowledge and expectations from the patient had the lowest score, while treatment barriers represented the highest score. there was a statistically significant, mild correlation between parental stress level and parental disease knowledge and expectations.

Conclusion

The findings of the current study revealed that most caregivers had high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. there is a statistically significant but mostly weak relationship between parents’ stress, anxiety, and depression and disease knowledge and expectations, medication adherence, beliefs about medication efficacy, barriers to treatment, and overall medication self-management.