The Relationship Between Parental Attitudes and Treatment Compliance Among Families of Children With Epilepsy

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in children that requires continuous medical care and regular treatment. Parents' attitudes toward their child's illness and treatment can play an important role in their commitment to the child's therapeutic regimen. Treatment compliance is essential for controlling seizures, preventing complications, and improving the child's health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between parental attitudes and treatment compliance among families of children with epilepsy in Thi-Qar Governorate, Iraq.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 200 parents who had children affected with epilepsy. The sample distributed throughout three hospitals includes (Nasiriyah Teaching Hospital, Bint Al-Huda Teaching Hospital and Martyr Muhammad Al-Moussawi Children's Hospital). The reliability of the questionnaire was achieved through a pilot study and then presented to experts to prove its validity. The total number of items included in the questionnaire to measure parental attitudes was 8-items and was 14-items to measure treatment compliance. The data was collected by using the interview technique and analyzed by the application of descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis approach.

Results: The study showed that 59% of parents had a moderate level of attitudes, while 55% of families had moderate treatment compliance. The results also revealed a weak positive correlation between parental attitudes and treatment compliance (r = 0.482). Statistically significant differences in parental attitudes were found according to the father's age, family type, number of children, mother's education, father's occupation, and monthly income (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Positive parental attitudes contribute to better treatment compliance among children with epilepsy and support the effective management of the condition. Therefore, educational programs for parents are needed to promote positive parental attitudes and improve treatment compliance among children with epilepsy.