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Social and behavioural perspectives in enuretics, former enuretics and non-enuretic controls
Insights
Children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) show no significant differences in social and behavioral traits compared to peers. This suggests PNE is not a psychological disorder, challenging previous theories.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Pediatric Urology
Background:
- Primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is involuntary urination during sleep in children over age five.
- Historically, PNE has been misattributed to psychological or neurotic causes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare social and behavioral traits in children with PNE versus those who outgrew enuresis and never experienced it.
- To investigate the psychological underpinnings of PNE.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving three groups of children: active PNE, resolved PNE, and never-enuretic controls.
- Mothers were interviewed using a 32-item questionnaire to assess child behavior.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in emotional or behavioral traits were found among the three groups.
- Children with PNE demonstrated comparable adjustment levels to their peers.
Conclusions:
- Primary nocturnal enuresis is not indicative of emotional dysfunction or a neurotic disease.
- Findings support the theory that PNE is a developmental condition, not a psychological disorder.
Abstract:
Social and behavioural traits in children with primary nocturnal enuresis were compared with children who had outgrown their enuresis and children who had never bed-wetted after three years of age. The study group included 14 children with primary nocturnal enuresis, 15 children who had had primary nocturnal enuresis and 15 age- and sex-matched controls. The mothers of all children were interviewed using a 32-item questionnaire. If primary nocturnal enuresis were a neurotic disease, we would have expected a higher frequency of emotional dysfunction in children with enuresis and an increase in the symptoms or symptom substitution when bed-wetting was resolved. No significant differences in emotional or behavioural traits among the three groups were found. We conclude that children with primary nocturnal enuresis were well adjusted individuals and display similar social and behavioural traits as their peers. This study lends further support to the theory that primary nocturnal enuresis is not a psychological disorder.