2022, Cilt 9, Sayı 3, Sayfa(lar) 284-290
Use of Complementary and Integrative Therapy in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients
Fadime ÜSTÜNER TOP1, Hasan Hüseyin ÇAM2
1Doç. Dr., Giresun Üniversitesi, Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi, Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Hemşireliği Anabilim Dalı, Giresun, Türkiye
2Dr. Öğr. Üyesi, Kilis 7 Aralık Üniversitesi, Yusuf Şerefoğlu Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi, Halk Sağlığı Hemşireliği Anabilim Dalı, Kilis, Türkiye
Keywords: Children, complementary therapies, epilepsy

Aim: The research was conducted to determine the prevalence of complementary and integrative therapy use in children with epilepsy and the methods used.

Material and Methods: Parents (294 parents) of children diagnosed with epilepsy participated in this cross-sectional study.

Results: In the study, the mean age of the children was 7.75±3.30, and the frequency of use of complementary and integrative therapy by the parents was 62.9%. The most commonly reported complementary and integrative treatment type was prayer and wearing amulets (90.0%). This was followed by a mixture of garlic and milk (31.6%), special diet (16.6%), honey (15.0%), psychological interviews (10.5%), and thyme juice (9.4%). Factors that were significantly associated with the use of complementary and integrative therapy were age 12 and over (AOR 19.06, 95% CI 3.39-107.15), low socioeconomic status (AOR10.91, 95% CI 1.89-62.84), moderate socioeconomic status (AOR 7.05, 95% CI 1.37-36.23), family history of epilepsy (AOR 2.15, 95% CI 1.13-4.08), seizure less than once a year (AOR 3.50, 95% CI 1.25-9.81), and at least one concomitant disease (AOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.16-5.58) (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Complementary and integrative therapy are widely used in children with epilepsy. For the effectiveness of the treatment, it is necessary to determine the parents' complementary and integrative treatment methods.