A biobehavioral approach toward managing encopresis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Behavioral Therapy
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Encopresis, or fecal incontinence, affects children and can stem from both medical and psychological factors.
• A comprehensive treatment approach is often necessary to address the complexities of encopresis.
• Evaluating integrated biobehavioral interventions provides insight into effective management strategies.

Observation:

• Two children diagnosed with encopresis were assessed and treated.
• The treatment involved a combination of medical intervention by a pediatric gastroenterologist and subsequent behavioral interventions.
• The study specifically examined a biobehavioral treatment model.

Findings:

• The biobehavioral treatment approach led to significant improvements in both encopretic subjects.
• Response cost, a behavioral intervention, was identified as a potentially necessary component for successful treatment in some children.
• A model was developed to illustrate the interplay of organic and nonorganic factors in encopresis.

Implications:

• Biobehavioral interventions are effective for treating encopretic children.
• Clinicians should consider incorporating response cost as part of the behavioral intervention for encopresis.
• The proposed model can aid in understanding and managing encopresis by differentiating organic and nonorganic influences.