Parental concerns for the child with febrile convulsion: Long-term effects of educational interventions

Objective - To evaluate long-term effects of educational interventions on parental concerns for children with febrile convulsions (FC). Subjects and methods - 209 FC parents were recruited from southern Taiwan, and assigned into program or pamphlet groups by their choices. A questionnaire was used to examine the parental concerns at 4 time points: prior to the interventions, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after the interventions. Results - The concern scores were high before the interventions. Parents concerned that their child is apt to get a fever, has further seizures in the night, that FC results in potential brain damage and is life threatening. After interventions the concern scores were significantly lower for the program group than for the pamphlet group. The educational program was the most significant factor that influenced the change in parental concerns. The recurrence of FC did not significantly influence the change in the concern trajectory in the program group but showed a significant difference in the pamphlet group. Conclusion - FC parental concerns decreased as time passed particularly in the program group. The educational program was the significant factor that influenced the change of concern trajectories, and the recurrent/non-recurrent factor influenced the change of concern only in pamphlet group. FC parental concerns should be assessed, and information given combined with emotional support.