The treatment of nocturnal enuresis in institutionalized retarded adults

This study employed a procedure for nocturnal enuresis with seven adult female residents of a state institutional ward for the retarded. The procedure included: positive reinforcement for remaining continent for gradually lengthened time periods; nightly awakenings at the beginning of their wetting periods, and a restriction of fluids before bedtime. There was a reduction for all residents in the monthly mean wetting frequency, from a baseline average of 6.6 to 0 by the end of treatment. All residents became accident-free after 12 months of treatment and had no relapse in a 1 yr follow-up. In a 4 yr follow-up, the four residents remaining in the institution were still accident-free. While the procedure required a comparatively long period, it had the advantages of low cost, and a low relapse rate.