Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Julia Doss; Rochelle Caplan; Prabha Siddarth; Brenda Bursch; Tatiana Falcone; Marcy Forgey; Kyle Hinman; W. Curt LaFrance; Rebecca Laptook; Richard Shaw; Deborah Weisbrot; Matthew Willis; Sigita Plioplys

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.03.016

Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Julia Doss^*, Rochelle Caplan, Prabha Siddarth, Brenda Bursch, Tatiana Falcone, Marcy Forgey, Kyle Hinman, W. Curt LaFrance, Rebecca Laptook, Richard Shaw, Deborah Weisbrot, Matthew Willis, Sigita Plioplys

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives This study examined the risk factors for learning problems (LP) in pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and their specificity by comparing psychopathology, medical, cognitive/linguistic/achievement, bullying history, and parent education variables between subjects with PNES with and without LP and between subjects with PNES and siblings with LP. Methods 55 subjects with PNES and 35 siblings, aged 8–18 years, underwent cognitive, linguistic, and achievement testing, and completed somatization and anxiety sensitivity questionnaires. A semi-structured psychiatric interview about the child was administered to each subject and parent. Child self-report and/or parent report provided information on the presence/absence of LP. Parents also provided each subject's medical, psychiatric, family, and bullying history information. Results Sixty percent (33/55) of the PNES and 49% (17/35) of the sibling subjects had LP. A multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that bullying and impaired formulation of a sentence using a stimulus picture and stimulus word were significantly associated with increased likelihood of LP in the PNES youth. In terms of the specificity of the LP risk factors, a similar analysis comparing LP in the youth with PNES and sibling groups identified anxiety disorder diagnoses and bullying as the significant risk factors associated with LP in the PNES youth. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need to assess youth with PNES for LP, particularly if they have experienced bullying, have linguistic deficits, and meet criteria for anxiety disorder diagnoses.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	135-139
Number of pages	5
Journal	Epilepsy and Behavior
Volume	70
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.03.016
State	Published - May 1 2017

Funding

All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form at http://www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf. This study was supported by a grant from the Epilepsy Foundation, research funds from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a junior faculty career development award from the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. 2) Dr. LaFrance Jr reports author's royalties from Oxford University Press for Taking Control of Your Seizures: Workbook; and Treating Nonepileptic Seizures, Therapist Guide, c 2015, and Editor's royalties from Cambridge University Press for Gates and Rowan's Nonepileptic Seizures, c 2010 & 2016. The additional authors do not have relationships in the past three years that could be perceived to constitute a conflict of interest.

Keywords

Adolescents
Epilepsy
Learning problems
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
Risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Clinical Neurology
Neurology
Behavioral Neuroscience

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@article{20e21b872f68416abae36609e15e74aa,

title = "Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures",

abstract = "Objectives This study examined the risk factors for learning problems (LP) in pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and their specificity by comparing psychopathology, medical, cognitive/linguistic/achievement, bullying history, and parent education variables between subjects with PNES with and without LP and between subjects with PNES and siblings with LP. Methods 55 subjects with PNES and 35 siblings, aged 8–18 years, underwent cognitive, linguistic, and achievement testing, and completed somatization and anxiety sensitivity questionnaires. A semi-structured psychiatric interview about the child was administered to each subject and parent. Child self-report and/or parent report provided information on the presence/absence of LP. Parents also provided each subject's medical, psychiatric, family, and bullying history information. Results Sixty percent (33/55) of the PNES and 49% (17/35) of the sibling subjects had LP. A multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that bullying and impaired formulation of a sentence using a stimulus picture and stimulus word were significantly associated with increased likelihood of LP in the PNES youth. In terms of the specificity of the LP risk factors, a similar analysis comparing LP in the youth with PNES and sibling groups identified anxiety disorder diagnoses and bullying as the significant risk factors associated with LP in the PNES youth. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need to assess youth with PNES for LP, particularly if they have experienced bullying, have linguistic deficits, and meet criteria for anxiety disorder diagnoses.",

keywords = "Adolescents, Epilepsy, Learning problems, Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, Risk factors",

author = "Julia Doss and Rochelle Caplan and Prabha Siddarth and Brenda Bursch and Tatiana Falcone and Marcy Forgey and Kyle Hinman and {Curt LaFrance}, W. and Rebecca Laptook and Richard Shaw and Deborah Weisbrot and Matthew Willis and Sigita Plioplys",

note = "Funding Information: All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form at http://www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf. This study was supported by a grant from the Epilepsy Foundation, research funds from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a junior faculty career development award from the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. 2) Dr. LaFrance Jr reports author's royalties from Oxford University Press for Taking Control of Your Seizures: Workbook; and Treating Nonepileptic Seizures, Therapist Guide, c 2015, and Editor's royalties from Cambridge University Press for Gates and Rowan's Nonepileptic Seizures, c 2010 & 2016. The additional authors do not have relationships in the past three years that could be perceived to constitute a conflict of interest. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Elsevier Inc.",

year = "2017",

month = may,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.03.016",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "70",

pages = "135--139",

journal = "Epilepsy and Behavior",

issn = "1525-5050",

publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

AU - Doss, Julia

AU - Caplan, Rochelle

AU - Siddarth, Prabha

AU - Bursch, Brenda

AU - Falcone, Tatiana

AU - Forgey, Marcy

AU - Hinman, Kyle

AU - Curt LaFrance, W.

AU - Laptook, Rebecca

AU - Shaw, Richard

AU - Weisbrot, Deborah

AU - Willis, Matthew

AU - Plioplys, Sigita

N1 - Funding Information: All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form at http://www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf. This study was supported by a grant from the Epilepsy Foundation, research funds from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a junior faculty career development award from the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. 2) Dr. LaFrance Jr reports author's royalties from Oxford University Press for Taking Control of Your Seizures: Workbook; and Treating Nonepileptic Seizures, Therapist Guide, c 2015, and Editor's royalties from Cambridge University Press for Gates and Rowan's Nonepileptic Seizures, c 2010 & 2016. The additional authors do not have relationships in the past three years that could be perceived to constitute a conflict of interest. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier Inc.

PY - 2017/5/1

Y1 - 2017/5/1

N2 - Objectives This study examined the risk factors for learning problems (LP) in pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and their specificity by comparing psychopathology, medical, cognitive/linguistic/achievement, bullying history, and parent education variables between subjects with PNES with and without LP and between subjects with PNES and siblings with LP. Methods 55 subjects with PNES and 35 siblings, aged 8–18 years, underwent cognitive, linguistic, and achievement testing, and completed somatization and anxiety sensitivity questionnaires. A semi-structured psychiatric interview about the child was administered to each subject and parent. Child self-report and/or parent report provided information on the presence/absence of LP. Parents also provided each subject's medical, psychiatric, family, and bullying history information. Results Sixty percent (33/55) of the PNES and 49% (17/35) of the sibling subjects had LP. A multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that bullying and impaired formulation of a sentence using a stimulus picture and stimulus word were significantly associated with increased likelihood of LP in the PNES youth. In terms of the specificity of the LP risk factors, a similar analysis comparing LP in the youth with PNES and sibling groups identified anxiety disorder diagnoses and bullying as the significant risk factors associated with LP in the PNES youth. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need to assess youth with PNES for LP, particularly if they have experienced bullying, have linguistic deficits, and meet criteria for anxiety disorder diagnoses.

AB - Objectives This study examined the risk factors for learning problems (LP) in pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and their specificity by comparing psychopathology, medical, cognitive/linguistic/achievement, bullying history, and parent education variables between subjects with PNES with and without LP and between subjects with PNES and siblings with LP. Methods 55 subjects with PNES and 35 siblings, aged 8–18 years, underwent cognitive, linguistic, and achievement testing, and completed somatization and anxiety sensitivity questionnaires. A semi-structured psychiatric interview about the child was administered to each subject and parent. Child self-report and/or parent report provided information on the presence/absence of LP. Parents also provided each subject's medical, psychiatric, family, and bullying history information. Results Sixty percent (33/55) of the PNES and 49% (17/35) of the sibling subjects had LP. A multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that bullying and impaired formulation of a sentence using a stimulus picture and stimulus word were significantly associated with increased likelihood of LP in the PNES youth. In terms of the specificity of the LP risk factors, a similar analysis comparing LP in the youth with PNES and sibling groups identified anxiety disorder diagnoses and bullying as the significant risk factors associated with LP in the PNES youth. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need to assess youth with PNES for LP, particularly if they have experienced bullying, have linguistic deficits, and meet criteria for anxiety disorder diagnoses.

KW - Adolescents

KW - Epilepsy

KW - Learning problems

KW - Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

KW - Risk factors

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AN - SCOPUS:85017548135

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JO - Epilepsy and Behavior

JF - Epilepsy and Behavior

ER -

Risk factors for learning problems in youth with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Abstract

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Keywords

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