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Treatment of constipation-caused encopresis by a negative reinforcement procedure
Insights
Negative reinforcement effectively treated retentive encopresis in a child by suppressing soiling and promoting regular bowel movements. Other behavioral interventions showed limited success.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric behavioral psychology
- Gastrointestinal motility disorders
Background:
- Retentive encopresis is a condition characterized by involuntary defecation, often linked to constipation.
- Behavioral interventions are crucial for managing encopresis in children.
Abstract:
During a baseline condition soiling and the cumulative number of bowel movements of a child suffering from retentive encopresis were recorded. Following this, a DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior) alone, a DRO plus overcorrection procedure, and a negative reinforcement procedure were each evaluated using a reversal design. The negative reinforcement procedure, which involved having the child sit on the toilet three times a day for increasing time periods if no bowel movement occurred, suppressed soiling and led to regular unprompted daily bowel movements in a very brief period of time. The DRO alone and DRO plus overcorrection conditions produced only a small decline in soiling.