Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of parents of children with epilepsy

Background and Aims: Knowledge about epilepsy and attitudes towards patients with epilepsy can influence measures taken to manage epilepsy and seizures. The support and understanding of parents is invaluable in helping children with epilepsy develop ordinary living skills. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of parents who have children with epilepsy in order to determine their educational needs. Methods: This descriptive study included 221 parents with epileptic children who applied to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Hospital. A questionnaire was applied to collect data. The questionnaire was designed as 46 questions to examine the demographic characteristics of parents, their knowledge and attitudes about epilepsy. Pearson and exact chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. As descriptive statistics, mean±standard deviation minimum-maximum values are given for numerical variables, and number and percentage values are given for categorical variables. Results: The most common sources of information about epilepsy of the participants were healthcare professionals(78.9%). 48.9% of the parents did not see consanguineous marriage as a reason. Some parents stated that epilepsy was supernatural (5.9%). The rate of those who tried non-physician treatment was 16.3%. It was determined that approximately one third of the parents(30.8%) pulled the patient's tongue out during the seizure. Some parents(16.7%) thought that epilepsy patients were disabled. An average of 50% of the participants stated that their children with epilepsy could do any kind of profession or sport. The rate of those who obtained information about epilepsy from the internet was significantly higher at higher education level compared to other education levels(p=0.003). In the group with a higher monthly income, it was observed that the participation in epilepsy is a treatable disease was significantly higher(p=0.021). Conclusions: Our study has documented parents' lack of knowledge about epilepsy. Many parents have significant misunderstandings, negative attitudes, and parenting malpractices, and their knowledge and understanding of epilepsy need to be improved. Keywords: Epilepsy, parents, knowledge, attitude, behaviour