The impact of headache on health-related quality of life and learning adaptation on children with epilepsy and non-epilepsy

This research was designed to investigate the impact of headache on health- related quality of life and learning adaptation of children with epilepsy and non-epilepsy. A cross-sectional design with purposeful sampling was used in this study. The sample included 40 children with epilepsy and 40 children without epilepsy. Among the 20 children with epilepsy, 20 suffer from a history of headaches were chosen from pediatric neurology department of medical centers in Taipei. In non-epilepsy group, 20 of the 40 children suffered from a history of headaches was recruited from epilepsy children’s class. The purpose of this research is to find out headache affecting epilepsy and non-epilepsy children with headache and then to confer the relationship and find out the predict factors of quality of life and learning adaptation. SPSS for Windows 10.0 was used for both descriptive and influential statistical analysis.
No significant differences were found between the epilepsy and non-epilepsy children in terms of demographics. Among the children who have epilepsy, no significant difference was found between children with headaches and without headaches in terms of severity of seizure.
The result showed that children without epilepsy experienced significantly higher HRQOL than those with epilepsy. Among children who suffered from epilepsy, those who were headaches free showed significantly higher HRQOL than those who suffer from a history of headaches. Among non-epilepsy children who didn’t have headache history experienced significantly higher QOL especial in pain score than children who suffered from headaches.
With respect to learning adaptation, children without epilepsy experienced significantly higher than epilepsy group in physiological and psychological adaptation and overall score. As compared epilepsy children with and without history of headaches, epilepsy children without history experienced better learning adaptation. There were no significantly differences between non-epilepsy children with and without headache history in learning adaptation. Among children whom had headache history showed higher HRQOL and learning adaptation than those who suffer epilepsy with a history of headache. But there were no significantly differences.
The influence factors of the epilepsy and non-epilepsy children with headache history in quality of life are gender, age, history of headache injury, duration of headache, impairments and number of medications, the influence in school, combining symptom, interventions, and aura. The influence factors of the epilepsy and non-epilepsy children with headache history in learning adaptation are gender, the headache of onset, the level of headache, history of headache injury, duration of headache, the influence in and off school, intervention, family history of headache, and aura.
On the one hand, the predictor of QOL in epilepsy with headache history children is the medium degree influence in school and that can predict 21.3% of the total differences in the scores. The predictors of OQL in non-epilepsy with headache history children are the beginning before elementary school of headache and with symptoms, which can predict 45.2 % of the total differences in the scores. On the other, the predictors of learning adaptation in epilepsy with headache history children are without influence in school, family history with headache and personal competence that can predict 89.8 % of the total differences in the scores. Moreover, personal competence, mild level of headache can be the predictor factors of non-epilepsy children with headache history and that can predict 77.6 % of the total differences in the scores.
The result showed a high level of positive relationship between children’s quality of life and learning adaptation. In other words, children who experienced higher quality of life appeared to have higher level of learning adaptation.
The results of this study would contribute to the understating of the impact of headache on health-related quality of life and learning adaptation on children with epilepsy and non-epilepsy. The results would also be served as information resources for families with epileptic children, school nurse and their teachers.