Coping with urinary incontinence: development and testing of a scale

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Urology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Urinary incontinence is a prevalent issue affecting older adults' quality of life.
• Effective coping strategies are crucial for managing urinary incontinence.
• Existing measurement tools may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of coping with urinary incontinence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive self-report scale to measure the effectiveness of coping with urinary incontinence.
• To provide a norm-referenced instrument for assessing coping strategies in community-residing older adults.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 159-item scale based on psychometric theory and Mitteness' theory.
• Expert evaluation reduced the scale to 64 items.
• Pilot testing for initial internal consistency.
• A major study involving 173 community-residing, incontinent older adults.
• Reliability analysis using Cronbach's Alpha for the final 39-item version.

Main Results:

• The final 39-item Coping With Urinary Incontinence Scale demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's Alpha = .9359).
• Ten distinct subscales were identified, covering physical, psychological, and social aspects of coping.
• The scale is norm-referenced, allowing for comparison within a relevant population.

Conclusions:

• The validated 39-item Coping With Urinary Incontinence Scale is a reliable and valid measure for assessing coping effectiveness in older adults with urinary incontinence.
• The ten subscales provide a detailed understanding of various coping mechanisms utilized by individuals.
• This scale can aid clinicians and researchers in evaluating interventions and understanding the lived experience of urinary incontinence.