Experiencing and managing urinary incontinence: a qualitative study

Urinary incontinence is a complex problem from which millions of people are affected worldwide. How the affected persons experience and organize their day-to-day lives has hardly been studied. This was the motive for a 2(1/2)-year study in the German-speaking region. Thirty-two problem-centered interviews were conducted with 22 women and 10 men, which were then analyzed using the grounded theory method, after Strauss and Corbin. The experience of urinary incontinence is dependent on the cause of the incontinence and on whether the episode of incontinence took place in private or in public. Incontinence itself influences social, cultural, and sportive activities and partner relationships. The results show that persons with incontinence use complex strategies to regain control. These include (a) being prepared for the next urge to urinate or the next episode of incontinence, (b) searching for possible therapies, and (c) forming a circle of trust.