Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep 18;79(12):1252-8.
doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182635b87. Epub 2012 Aug 8.

Development and validation of the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire

Diego A Morita  1 , Tracy A Glauser, Avani C Modi
Affiliations

Development and validation of the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire

Diego A Morita et al. Neurology. .

Abstract

Objective: To develop and validate a measure of antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects in children with a variety of seizure types, treatments, and therapy durations.

Methods: Content for an initial 44-item measure was developed using the previously published Hague Scale and expert opinion from recognized pediatric epileptologists (n = 12) and caregivers of children with epilepsy (n = 21). The measure was completed by caregivers during routine clinic visits. Demographic and medical data were collected through chart reviews. Factor analysis was conducted and internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity were assessed.

Results: Questionnaires were analyzed from 495 children with epilepsy (M(age) = 10.1 years; range 2-21 years; 42% female; 14% African American; 32% new onset vs 68% chronic epilepsy). The final questionnaire, the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire (PESQ), is a 19-item measure with 5 subscales (i.e., cognitive, motor, behavioral, general neurological, and weight) that accounts for 99% of the variance. Internal consistency coefficients and test-retest reliabilities ranged from 0.72 to 0.93 and 0.74 to 0.97, respectively. Construct validity was demonstrated by increasing side effects as the number of drugs increased. Participants on valproic acid had significantly higher scores on the Weight Scale compared to those on carbamazepine.

Conclusions: The PESQ is a reliable and valid measure of AED side effects in children across the epilepsy spectrum that can be used in both clinical and research settings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Epilepsy Foundation Incidence and prevalence. Available at: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/whatisepilepsy/statistic... Accessed August 17, 2011
    1. Glauser T, Ben-Menachem E, Bourgeois B, et al. ILAE treatment guidelines: evidence-based analysis of antiepileptic drug efficacy and effectiveness as initial monotherapy for epileptic seizures and syndromes. Epilepsia 2006; 47: 1094– 1120 - PubMed
    1. Eadie MJ. Pharmacokinetic principles of drug treatment. In: Shorvon S, Dreifuss F, Fish D, Thomas D. eds. The Treatment of Epilepsy. London: Blackwell Science Ltd.; 1996: 138– 151.
    1. Brown SW, Tomlinson LL. Anticonvulsant side-effects: a self-report questionnaire for use in community surveys. Br J Clin Pract 1982; 147
    1. Cramer JA, Smith DB, Mattson RH, Delgado Escueta AV, Collins JF. A method of quantification for the evaluation of antiepileptic drug therapy. Neurology 1983; 33: 26– 37 - PubMed

Publication types

Substances