TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationship between social competence and neurocognitive performance in children with epilepsy
AU - Raud, Triin
AU - Kaldoja, Mari Liis
AU - Kolk, Anneli
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the Estonian Science Foundation ( GARLA 9016 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2015/11/1
Y1 - 2015/11/1
N2 - Epilepsy may affect a child's social skills and social cognition. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between sociocognitive skills and neurocognitive performance in children with epilepsy. Thirty-five children with epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 12 years (25 with partial and 10 with generalized epilepsy) and 30 controls participated. Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks, Social Cognition Questionnaire proposed by Saltzman-Benaiah and Lalonde (2007), and Social Skills Rating System were used to assess social competence and sociocognitive skills. Neurocognitive performance was assessed using the NEPSY battery. Children with epilepsy demonstrated more difficulties in understanding false belief (p<.001) and intentional lying (p<.05) and exhibited more behavioral problems (p<.05). Notably, their social skills were at the same level as typically developing peers. Children with epilepsy performed significantly worse in attention, executive, verbal, and fine motor tasks (p<.05). We found positive correlations between the understanding of false belief and in executive (r= .6, p< .05), verbal (r= .45-.49, p< .05), and visuospatial skills (r= .34-.48, p< 0.01). Children with generalized epilepsy had more problems in memory tasks (p<.05) and understanding of sarcasm (p<.05) compared with children with partial epilepsy. An age of onset over 9.1 years was positively associated with ToM skills (r=.42, p<.05). In conclusion, better ToM in children with better executive functions, and language and visuospatial skills was revealed. The type of epilepsy and age of onset significantly affected ToM skills.
AB - Epilepsy may affect a child's social skills and social cognition. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between sociocognitive skills and neurocognitive performance in children with epilepsy. Thirty-five children with epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 12 years (25 with partial and 10 with generalized epilepsy) and 30 controls participated. Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks, Social Cognition Questionnaire proposed by Saltzman-Benaiah and Lalonde (2007), and Social Skills Rating System were used to assess social competence and sociocognitive skills. Neurocognitive performance was assessed using the NEPSY battery. Children with epilepsy demonstrated more difficulties in understanding false belief (p<.001) and intentional lying (p<.05) and exhibited more behavioral problems (p<.05). Notably, their social skills were at the same level as typically developing peers. Children with epilepsy performed significantly worse in attention, executive, verbal, and fine motor tasks (p<.05). We found positive correlations between the understanding of false belief and in executive (r= .6, p< .05), verbal (r= .45-.49, p< .05), and visuospatial skills (r= .34-.48, p< 0.01). Children with generalized epilepsy had more problems in memory tasks (p<.05) and understanding of sarcasm (p<.05) compared with children with partial epilepsy. An age of onset over 9.1 years was positively associated with ToM skills (r=.42, p<.05). In conclusion, better ToM in children with better executive functions, and language and visuospatial skills was revealed. The type of epilepsy and age of onset significantly affected ToM skills.
KW - Children
KW - Neurocognitive performance
KW - Partial and generalized epilepsies
KW - Social skills
KW - Sociocognitive skills
KW - Theory of mind
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2015.08.028
DO - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2015.08.028
M3 - Article
C2 - 26409136
AN - SCOPUS:84942694228
SN - 1525-5050
VL - 52
SP - 93
EP - 101
JO - Epilepsy and Behavior
JF - Epilepsy and Behavior
ER -