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[Enuresis in children 5-18 years old in severe dysfunctional families]
1Dept. of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba.
Insights
Children from severely dysfunctional families, marked by conflict and lack of trust, are more prone to childhood enuresis nocturna. Early identification of family dysfunction aids in effective treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Family Psychology
- Child Development
Context:
- Primary care setting evaluating 698 children aged 5-18.
- Identified 27 children with enuresis nocturna across 21 families.
- Included 127 children without enuresis as controls.
Purpose:
- To investigate the association between severe family dysfunction and childhood enuresis nocturna.
- To explore the role of parental education levels in enuresis.
- To highlight the impact of family environment on child development and enuresis.
Summary:
- Children with enuresis nocturna were significantly more likely to originate from severely dysfunctional families (48.1%) compared to controls (6.3%).
- Dysfunctional families exhibit chronic conflict, lack of closeness, trust, and parental support.
- Higher rates of parents with limited education (≤8 years) were observed in families with enuretic children.
Impact:
- Severe family dysfunction hinders maturation and personality development.
- Early detection of family dysfunction can lead to timely intervention for childhood enuresis.
- Findings underscore the importance of family environment in pediatric health outcomes.
Abstract:
In a primary care setting 698 children aged 5-18 years were examined and 27 in 21 families were found to have enuresis nocturna. The control group included 127 children in 79 families who did not have enuresis. 13 (48.1%) children with enuresis, but only 8 (6.3%) control children, were from severe dysfunctional families. Such families are characterized by chronic and persistent conflicts, absence of closeness and lack of trust between parents and children, and lack of parental support (p < 0.001). Results were similar for boys and girls. The rate of parents with 8 or fewer years of education was significantly higher among children with enuresis as compared to controls, both with regard to fathers (p = 0.05) and mothers (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that severe dysfunctional families do not support maturation and personality development of their members. Early discovery of severe dysfunctional families promotes early intervention and effective treatment of enuresis in childhood.