Professional paper

https://doi.org/10.24141/2/8/1/4

Parents’ Perception of Febrile Seizures in Children

Bruno Bolvanac orcid.org/0009-0000-2710-0253 ; University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Nikolina Farčić orcid.org/0000-0001-8289-0710 ; University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia *
Ana Ljubojević ; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia
Karolina Kaser ; University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Ivana Barać orcid.org/0000-0001-7539-2019 ; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia
Zvjezdana Gvozdanović ; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia
Ivana Stojanović ; University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Aim. To examine the perception of parents of children suffering from febrile seizures in relation to management procedures for febrile seizures, parents’ gender, and their opinion regarding the need for additional education.

Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Osijek Clinical Hospital Centre, in February and March 2023. The respondents were 32 parents of children hospitalized for febrile seizures. A questionnaire on parents’ perception of febrile seizures was used.

Results. There were 32 respondents, 15 (47%) male and 17 (53%) female. A total of 20 (62%) respondents were not aware that their child was having a febrile seizure attack, 6 (19%) respondents thought their child was dying, and 4 (13%) respondents thought their child was losing consciousness. During seizure, a significant number of respondents, 16 (50%), of them, felt fear as the dominant emotion, and 13 (41%) respondents felt panic. A total of 9 (28%) respondents felt ready for recurrent febrile seizure, while 6 (19%) respondents were not or could not assess their readiness. A total of 29 (91%) respondents believed that they needed additional education.

Conclusion. Parents are mostly unaware that their child is having a febrile seizure and feel fear and panic. Male parents call emergency medical services significantly more often than female parents. Parents are not sufficiently prepared for the recurrent seizures, and most of them believe that they need additional education.

Keywords

febrile seizures, perception, parents

Hrčak ID:

317731

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/317731

Publication date:

6.6.2024.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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