Major depression and urinary incontinence in women: temporal associations in an epidemiologic sample

To determine whether: (1) major depression is associated with increased risk for onset of urinary incontinence, and (2) urinary incontinence is associated with increased risk for onset of depression.

Longitudinal cohort study of female Health and Retirement Study participants completing baseline interviews at Wave 3 (1996-1997) and follow-up interviews at Waves 4-6 (1998-2003).

In a cohort of 5820 women with a mean age 59.3 (+/- 0.5) years, 6-year cumulative incidences of depression and incontinence were 11% and 21%, respectively. Major depression was associated with increased odds of incident incontinence (adjusted odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.97) during follow-up compared with those without major depression at baseline. Conversely, incontinence was not associated with increased odds of incident depression (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.42) compared with those without incontinence at baseline.

Major depression predicted onset of urinary incontinence in a population-based sample of at-risk, community-dwelling women. Incontinence did not predict onset of depression.