Keywords
Child
Quality of life
Caregiver burden
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Abstract
Objective: To assess the impact of the quality of life of children with epilepsy on the level of caregiver burden. Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2025 with 30 children (aged 4 to 11 years) with treatment-resistant epilepsy and their primary caregivers. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from the children, and information was collected from caregivers, such as length of care, daily workload, and family/social support. Children's quality of life was measured using the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55), and caregiver burden was measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Descriptive analyses and association tests (ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis) were performed. Results: The mean age of the children was 7.3 years, with a predominance of males (56.7%). Among caregivers, 96.7% were women, mostly mothers. The children's quality of life had a mean score of 49.2 points, with better performance in the physical domain and worse in the emotional domain. The mean burden was 44.2 points, being moderate to severe in 56.7% of caregivers. There was a significant association between the child's quality of life and caregiver burden (p=0.007). Conclusion: Lower scores for children's quality of life, especially in the emotional and cognitive domains, were related to greater caregiver burden.
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