School engagement, epilepsy severity, and frequency of victimization in school age children

Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in young people, which disrupts daily life and results in an increased risk of victimization. Archival data from the 2018/2019 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, were used. Data from the NSCH were collected via parent reports and analyzed for children aged 6–17 years (N = 25500). The results indicated that children with epilepsy (CWE) were significantly more likely to be frequently bullied than children with less stigmatizing chronic health conditions (i.e., asthma) and typical peers, but there was no significant association between the severity of epilepsy and the frequency of victimization. Furthermore, the degree of school engagement did not significantly moderate the relationship between epilepsy severity and frequency of victimization. However, the degree of school engagement was associated with the frequency of victimization in CWE, such that more school engagement was associated with less parent-reported victimization. Overall, these findings support the growing evidence that CWE are at a higher risk of being bullied and need unique interventions regardless of epilepsy severity and that school engagement should be further examined to reduce victimization among CWE.