TY - JOUR
PY - 2017//
TI - Current psychiatric disorders in patients with epilepsy are predicted by maltreatment experiences during childhood
JO - Epilepsy research
A1 - Labudda, Kirsten
A1 - Illies, Dominik
A1 - Herzig, Cornelia
A1 - Schröder, Katharina
A1 - Bien, Christian G.
A1 - Neuner, Frank
SP - 43
EP - 49
VL - 135
IS -
N2 - PURPOSE: Childhood maltreatment has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders. Although the prevalence of psychiatric disorders is high in epilepsy patients, it is unknown if childhood maltreatment experiences are elevated compared to the normal population and if early maltreatment is a risk factor for current psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy patients. This is the main purpose of this study.
METHODS: Structured interviews were used to assess current Axis I diagnoses in 120 epilepsy patients from a tertiary Epilepsy Center (34 TLE patients, 86 non-TLE patients). Childhood maltreatment in the family and peer victimization were assessed with validated questionnaires. Patients' maltreatment scores were compared with those of a representative matched control group. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the potential impact of childhood maltreatment on current psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy patients.
RESULTS: Compared to a matched control group, epilepsy patients had higher emotional and sexual maltreatment scores. Patients with a current psychiatric diagnosis reported more family and peer maltreatment than patients without a psychiatric disorder. Family maltreatment scores predicted the likelihood of a current psychiatric disorder. TLE patients did not differ from non-TLE patients according to maltreatment experiences and rates of current psychiatric disorders.
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that in epilepsy patients emotional and sexual childhood maltreatment is experienced more often than in the normal population and that early maltreatment is a general risk factor for psychiatric comorbidities in this group.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0920-1211 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.06.005 ID - ref1 ER -