Impact of the Children's Epilepsy Program on Parents

Abstract

Summary: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Santiago, Chile to test the efficacy of the Children's Epilepsy Program, a child‐centered, family‐focused intervention developed and pilot tested in Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A., using a counseling model for parents of children with seizure disorders to help them (a) deal with their anger, resentment, and grief related to the loss of a normal child; (b) increase their knowledge about caring for their child; (c) reduce anxieties related to having a child with a seizure disorder; and (d) improve their decisionmaking skills. All parents were pretested and then retested 5 months after the educational interventions. Parents in the experimental group (n = 185) and their children separately attended four 1 A‐h sessions and then met together at the end of each session to share learning experiences. Comparison group parents (n = 180) and their children jointly attended three 2‐h lecture sessions followed by question‐and‐answer periods. Although