Student Rounds: Onyebuchi C. Omodon
Tuesday March 16, 2021
3:30-4:00 p.m. EST
Online, via Zoom: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/92172337039 (passcode: epibio)
"Anxiety symptoms ten years after diagnosis of childhood-onset epilepsy: Prevalence and Correlates"
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Schulich School of Medicine & DentistryWestern University
Summary:
Anxiety symptoms are among the most common psychiatric symptoms experienced by children with epilepsy and contribute to poorer health-related quality of life. Current literature provides evidence that the family environment plays an important role in mitigating psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Little is known, however, about the prevalence of anxiety in the long-term as those with childhood-onset epilepsy become adolescents and young adults (AYA). The aims of this research were: 1) To describe anxiety symptoms in AYA 10 years after epilepsy diagnosis and 2) to assess the association between family characteristics and anxiety symptoms 10 years after epilepsy diagnosis to identify potentially modifiable family characteristics early in the course of epilepsy. Data for this thesis were from a multicenter prospective cohort study that followed children with newly diagnosed epilepsy and their families for 10 years after diagnosis.
This presentation begins with a broad overview of epilepsy and anxiety in adolescents and young adults before focusing on prevalence and correlates of anxiety symptoms in AYA 10 years after diagnosis.
Short Bio:
Onyebuchi is a final year MSc candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics under the supervision of Kathy Speechley, PhD. She started her MSc in epidemiology in 2018. Prior to starting graduate school at Western University, Onyebuchi completed undergraduate degrees in Health Sciences and Psychology at Western University. Her research interests include mental health, epilepsy, process and program evaluation and pediatric health services
