Abstract

Background: Clinical descriptions of disturbed sleep patterns in parents and children with epilepsy are widespread. This study investigates the effect of pediatric epilepsy on the sleep patterns of children and the sleep quality and fatigue experienced by their parents.
Method: Parents of children with epilepsy aged 14 years and younger participated in online surveys evaluating seizure history and the sleep patterns of the children and parents. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was employed to measure sleep disturbances in the children. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Iowa Fatigue Scale were employed to assess parental sleep quality and fatigue. The Early Childhood Epilepsy Severity Scale was implemented to determine the epilepsy severity.
Results: Eighty-two households with children with epilepsy participated in this study. Children with epilepsy had significant sleep disturbances, with a CSHQ score of 74.0% and an overall mean sleep score of 73.26. The following factors have the highest influence on sleep dysfunction: lack of antiepileptic medication correlated positively with the degree of child sleep dysfunction (p = 0.012), frequency of epileptic attacks (p = 0.046), and treatment response (p = 0.048).
Conclusion: Sleep habits in children with pediatric epilepsy and their parents can be profoundly affected. Clinicians must pay close attention to the sleep problems that children with epilepsy face, as well as the needs of the entire household. The data indicate the need for better epilepsy treatments and seizure tracking.

Key words: KEYWORDS: Seizures, child sleep dysfunction, parental sleep, parental fatigue.