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Conditioning treatment of children's bedwetting: a follow-up and predictive study
1Department of Social Sciences, University of Orebro, Sweden.
Insights
This study shows that the Mowrer and Mowrer conditioning technique is effective for treating 72% of children after one treatment. However, predicting individual success remains challenging.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- The Mowrer and Mowrer conditioning technique, developed in 1938, is a recognized method for treating childhood conditions.
- Parental involvement and home-based administration are key components of this therapeutic approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Mowrer and Mowrer conditioning technique in a cohort of 50 children.
- To identify factors influencing treatment success and predict individual outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Fifty children (mean age 7.8 years) received home-based treatment administered by parents under clinical psychologist supervision.
- Parents were trained in equipment use and progress monitoring.
Main Results:
- 72% of children achieved success after one treatment.
- An additional 18% required two or three treatments following relapses.
- 10% experienced a third relapse after three treatments.
- While recovery patterns differed between successful and less successful cases, discriminant analysis showed difficulty in predicting individual outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The Mowrer and Mowrer conditioning technique demonstrates significant success rates in treating childhood conditions.
- Process variables alone are insufficient for accurately predicting the success of this treatment method for individual children.
Abstract:
50 children with a mean age of 7.8 yr. were treated using the conditioning technique originally developed by Mowrer and Mowrer in 1938. The parents were trained to handle the equipment and to keep records of progress. The treatment was administered in the respective homes by the parents under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. Analysis indicated that the treatment was successful after one treatment for 72% (n = 36) of the children, after one relapse and two treatments for an additional 10% (n = 5), and after two relapses and three treatments for an additional 8% (n = 4). 10% (n = 5) of the children experienced a third relapse after the third treatment. The observed differences in patterns of recovery during treatment, such as number of learning opportunities, significantly differentiated the successful cases from the less successful ones, but a discriminant analysis indicated difficulties in classifying individual cases. It was concluded that process variables are not sufficient to predict success of the present treatment method.