الفهرس 
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Abstract
Children with seizures have a higher risk than healthy children for psychosocial outcomes such as emotional, social and behavioral problems. As well, their families seem to be at higher risk for adverse psychosocial outcome (Wonodi & Onubogu, 2023).
Seizures happen when there is a sudden surge of uncontrolled electrical energy disturbance in a child’s brain. Which cause sudden changes in how a child acts, moves, or feels. A seizure may affect just one or two things that the brain controls like a shaking arm, or a strange feeling in the stomach. It may sweep across the child’s brain, knocking out awareness or causing a massive muscle jerk. Seizures end after a few seconds, or a couple of minutes (Van Westrhenen et al., 2021).
This study aimed to assess the care provided by the mothers for their children suffering from seizures through the following: assess the knowledge of the mothers about seizures, assess the mothers’ self-reported practice toward caring their children suffering from seizures, assess the mothers’ coping patterns toward their children suffering from seizures and find-out the relationship between knowledge and attitude of mothers toward care provided for their children suffering from seizures.
The study was carried out on 100 mothers and their Childrens diagnosed with seizures by using descriptive design at the pediatric intensive care unit and neurological in-patient department and specialized Outpatient clinic affiliated to Children’s Hospital of Ain Shams University.
Tools for data collection:
The data was collected through the following tools:
First tool: A pre designed interviewing questionnaire format:
It was designed by the researcher and reviewed by supervisor in simple Arabic language for easy understand ability based on relevant literature, it will be consisting of three parts as following:
• Part 1: Children characteristics Such as Age, gender, birth order, medical history, height, weight, head circumference and BMI.
• Part 2: Mothers characteristics Such as Age, occupation, relationship status, educational level, place of residence, number of children and type of family, contingency with husband.
• Part 3: Mothers knowledge about care of their children suffering from seizures such as: concept of seizures, causes of seizures, sign & symptoms of seizures, types of seizures, risk of seizures, anticonvulsants drugs use for child (name, dose, route, action, adverse action), first aid and measures of recurrence prevention, steps of resuscitation and types of restrains and immunization, proper nutrition, complication of seizures and prevention of seizures, prevention of infectious disease and safety measure in home.
Scoring system:
The total score of part 3 of the questionnaire was 100% and three score level accordingly as: more than 75% is consider satisfactory knowledge, from 50% to 75% will be consider average level of knowledge and less than 50% was considered unsatisfactory knowledge.
Second tool: Mothers’ reported practices about Care of their children suffering from seizures such as:
Care before seizures: Management of febrile child, medication administration and prevention measures of the convulsions and full observation of child. Care during seizures: Positioning, safety precautions (followed to prevent biting, swallowing tongue, preventing child injury), observe convulsions manifestation and duration, aspiration prevention, call emergency medical services, observation of (breathing, general condition, mobility and level of consciousness. Care after seizures: observation of (level of consciousness, mobility, urination, defecation, etc.) recording convulsion (symptoms, duration and time) Safety measures as (fever control measure and prophylaxis anticonvulsive medication).
Scoring system:
The steps of each reported care were distributed as done and not done, each reported care given one point for done, and zero point will be given for incorrectly done or not done at all. These scores were summed up and will be converted into a percent score. According to the actual practice for each study subject, it was categorized into:
• Inadequate less than 80%.
• Adequate 80% or more.
Third tool: Coping pattern scale to evaluate the mothers coping toward caring their children having seizures (Jalowic, 2020). Beck Depression Inventory to assess the mother’s depression (Beck et al., 2020). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory S-T to assess the mothers anxiety (Charles & Conner-Smith, 2010).
The results of the study revealed that:
• Less than three thirds (64%) of studied children were males, regarding their age, it ranged from 3 months to more than 18 years with Mean ± SD 8.48 ± 1.30 and less than one third (30%) of them aged between 6 to less than 9 years with more than half (58%) of them hadn’t attending school. Also, more than half (52%) of them were the second in the birth order, 66% of them had one sibling, more than one third (34%) of them had from 5 to less than 10 kg, less of half (45%) of them had from fivety to Less than 100 cm and more of half (52%) of them had from 35 to less than 45cm of head circumference.
• Less than half (44%) of the studied mothers aged between 30 to less 35 years with mean ± SD 29.18 ± 6.46 years. More than two thirds (68%) of the mothers were married. Concerning the mothers’ educational qualifications, more than one third (36%) of them were read and write. As well as, 60% of them hadn’t work and 60% of them were live at urban areas. In addition, 60% of them had 2 to less than 4 children and 65% of them had unclear family.
• More than one quarters (30%) of the mothers had unsatisfactory knowledge level regarding seizures, compared to the minority (18%) of them had satisfactory knowledge level. While, more than half (52%) of them had average knowledge level regarding seizures.
• More than one quarters (29.0%) of the studied mothers had adequate total practice level regarding caring children with seizures while, less than three quarters (71.0%) of them had inadequate reported practices level.
• More than half (55%) of the studied mothers had low coping pattern level regarding their children disease while, less than nearly one quarter (23% & 22%) of them had high and moderate coping pattern level regarding their children disease repectively.
• More than half (56.4%) of the studied mothers had mild depression level compared to 0.0% of them who had severe depression. On the other hand, less than half (43.6%) of the mothers had moderate depression.
• The minority (17.0%) of the studied mothers had mild anxiety and 2.1% of them had severe anxiety. On the other hand, the majority (80.9%) of the mothers had moderate anxiety.
• Less than two thirds (64.9%) of the studied mothers had negative attitude regarding care provided for children suffering from seizures, while, more than one third (35.1%) of them had positive attitude level.
• There was statistically significant relation between total studied mothers’ knowledge regarding seizures and their age, marital status, educational level and working state. While there was no statistically significant relation between total studied mothers’ knowledge regarding seizures and their place of residence.
• There was statistically significant relation between total studied mothers’ reported practice regarding seizures and their age, educational level. While there was no statistically significant relation between total studied mothers reported practice regarding seizures and their marital status and working state.
• There was no statistically significant relation between total studied mothers’ copping pattern regarding seizures and their demographic data at (P> 0.05).
• There was no statistically significant relation between total studied mothers’ attitude regarding seizures and their demographic data at (P> 0.05).
• There was statistically significant positive correlation between the total studied mothers’ knowledge, reported practices and coping pattern and attitude regarding seizures.
In conclusion, less than one third of the mothers had unsatisfactory knowledge level regarding seizures. Also, less than one quarters of the studied mothers had inadequate total practice level regarding caring children suffering from seizures. As well as, less than two thirds of the studied mothers had negative attitude regarding care provided for children suffering from seizures. Also, there was statistically significant positive correlation between the total studied mothers’ knowledge, reported practices regarding care provided for children with seizures.
In the light of the study finding, it is recommended that:
• Provide educational program for mothers about seizures.
• Disseminate hand note and instruction to mothers about seizures.
• Fixed poster in the outpatient clinic and pediatric department about mothers practices regarding seizures.
• Provide emotional support and explain coping strategies for mothers caring of children.