Depression and anxiety in women with urinary incontinence, valuing their quality of life

Incontinence is often surrounded by stigmas and myths and requires a comprehensive understanding that integrates biological, psychological and social dimensions. The objective was analyzing the relationship between the level of anxiety and depression with the quality of life of women with urinary incontinence.

Using a correlational descriptive, cross-sectional survey, 200 women suffering from urinary incontinence were interviewed in a urology nursing practice of a hospital in the community of Madrid to assess their knowledge, beliefs, myths and sources of information about incontinence. The level of anxiety, depression and quality of life were assessed. Descriptive analyses of frequencies and percentages, comparisons of means between groups by means of significance tests, and correlations between quantitative variables using Spearman's coefficient were performed.

The results revealed a significant gap in education regarding incontinence, with 79.33% of participants expressing a need for more complete information. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between anxiety and depression levels and mental quality of life in women with urinary incontinence (Rho = -0.568; P < .001), indicating that higher levels of anxiety and depression are associated with worse mental quality of life outcomes.

Women with incontinence reported higher emotional distress, possibly related to shame and the fear of experiencing episodes in social or work situations. Therefore, anxiety and depression should be viewed as central aspects of the patient's experience.