Deficits in all aspects of social competence identified in children who have undergone epilepsy surgery

Research on social competence of children who undergo epilepsy surgery is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the frequency and pattern of impairments in social competence (domains: social skills, social adjustment, and social performance) in a cohort of children who underwent surgery for intractable epilepsy at a single epilepsy surgical center. In addition, we explored the relationships between social competence with epilepsy variables, surgical variables, and seizure outcomes. Fifteen children (5 to 16 years) who underwent focal cortical resection for intractable epilepsy more than 2 years ago (2.58-7.42 years) participated. Parents completed standardized, age-normed questionnaires, assessing three domains of social competence. Demographic and clinical information were obtained from parents and medical records and verified by Pediatric Neurologists and Clinical Nurse Consultant. Individual and group analyses were conducted. Seventy-three percent (n = 11/15) of children were seizure-free. Individual analyses revealed high rates of impairments (scores >1 standard deviation of the mean); 11 out of 15 children (73.3%) obtained a score that fell in the impaired range on at least one domain of social competence, with 5 of these 15 children (30.0%) obtaining impaired scores across domains. Conversely, group analyses of questionnaires completed by parents revealed that compared with norms, children had significant difficulties in all domains of social competence: social skills, social adjustment, and social performance. No significant relationships were found between domains of social competence and epilepsy and surgical variables. In conclusion, children who underwent epilepsy surgery have significantly reduced social competence relative to the norms. Longitudinal studies examining social competence pre- and postsurgery are needed to determine whether surgery improves social competence and whether this is dependent on epilepsy outcomes.