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Published on: April 27, 2014
Paruresis (shy bladder syndrome): a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach
Steven Soifer1, Joseph Himle, Kathleen Walsh
1School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. ssoifer@ssw.umaryland.edu
Abstract:
Paruresis is a social anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being unable to urinate in the presence of others. This condition has not been covered in the social work literature, yet is a perfect example of a person-in-environment problem. This article explores the use of graduated exposure therapy during weekend-long workshops for the treatment of paruresis. One hundred one participants participated in workshops and were administered pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1-year follow-up treatment scales. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant improvement in shy bladder symptoms. Significant improvement in global severity of shy bladder was observed posttreatment and at the 1-year follow-up point. Findings suggest that graduated exposure therapy improves self-reported global severity of shy bladder symptoms and that these gains were maintained at 1-year follow up.
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