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Anxiety disorders, depression and incontinence in preschool children-A population-based study

Justine Hussong1, Marion Greiner2, Ulrike Schiedermaier2

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany.

Neurourology and Urodynamics
|August 18, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms are common in children with incontinence. Screening for these conditions in incontinent children is crucial for timely intervention and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric mental health
  • Childhood incontinence
  • Psychosomatic disorders

Background:

  • Incontinence is a common issue in preschool children.
  • The co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms with incontinence is not well-understood.
  • Early identification of mental health issues in children with incontinence is vital for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between specific anxiety disorders, depressive symptoms, and incontinence in a population-based sample of preschool children.
  • To determine the prevalence of different types of incontinence and their relationship with mental health conditions.
  • To identify specific mental health disorders most strongly linked to childhood incontinence.

Main Methods:

  • A representative sample of preschool children (n=1206) completed parent-reported questionnaires.
  • Questionnaires assessed nocturnal enuresis (NE), daytime urinary incontinence (DUI), fecal incontinence (FI), constipation, and symptoms of separation anxiety disorder (SAD), social phobia (SOC), specific phobia (PHOB), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) using DSM-5 criteria.
  • The Preschool Feelings Checklist (PFC) was used to measure depressive symptoms.

Main Results:

  • 14.1% of children experienced incontinence (NE, DUI, FI), and 6.3% had constipation.
  • Children with incontinence showed significantly higher rates of anxiety disorders (34.6%) and depressive symptoms (13.3%) compared to continent children.
  • Social phobia (SOC) and specific phobia (PHOB) were particularly elevated in children with NE, DUI, and FI.

Conclusions:

  • Anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms are prevalent in preschool children with incontinence.
  • Specific phobias and social phobias are strongly associated with various forms of childhood incontinence.
  • Routine screening for anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms in children with incontinence is recommended to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.
Abstract

Keywords:
anxiety disordersdepressionenuresisincontinencepreschool children

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