Researcher Spotlight: Janelle L. Wagner, Ph.D.
Investigator: Janelle L. Wagner, Ph.D.
Institution: Medical University of South Carolina
Title: A Learned Hopelessness Model of Depression in Children and
Adolescents with Epilepsy
Lay summary: The goals of the study were to assess the contribution of
mechanisms of learned hopelessness to depression in children
with epilepsy and to associate coping skills with depressive
symptoms.
Results:
Dr. Wagner has published findings from her research that was funded by the Epilepsy Foundation’s Targeted Research Initiative for Mood Disorders (see citations below).
In the first publication, the findings show the importance of interventions that assist youth in identifying epilepsy-related aspects of functioning over which they can realistically exercise control and challenging negative thoughts about situations they cannot control.
In the second publication, Dr. Wagner reports on the portion of the study that evaluated seizure severity in youth and caregiver self-report measures of the emotional and social variables that occur in epilepsy. Seizure severity has been investigated using multiple tools over the years, and its defining features continue to be debated. Severity ratings are necessary for medical, psychological and epidemiologic investigations. The results indicate that a longer recovery time from the last seizure and a longer duration of seizure influence how severe a caregiver judges seizures. The usual elements such as type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures, and most recent seizure were not significantly related to severity rating. Behavior ratings were also not related to severity rating. Clinicians often rely heavily on caregiver information during clinic visits to help inform treatment decisions; therefore, a standard way to measure seizure severity from a caregiver’s perception is key in providing care. Rather than assuming what makes a seizure severe to a parent, Dr. Wagner’s work show that more research should be conducted on what elements contributed to severity, as judged by both the parent and youth.
Publication(s): Wagner JL, Smith G, Ferguson P, Horton S & Wilson E. A Learned Hopelessness Model of Depressive Symptoms in Youth with Epilepsy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2009; 34, 89-96.
Wagner JL, Smith G, Ferguson P & Wannamaker B.
Caregiver Perceptions of Seizure Severity in Pediatric Epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2009;50(9): 2102-9.
