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Self-esteem before and after treatment in children with nocturnal enuresis and urinary incontinence
B Hägglöf1, O Andrén, E Bergström
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital of Umeå, Sweden.
Insights
Children with nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence experienced lower self-esteem before treatment. Treatment improved self-esteem to levels comparable to controls, especially in children who became dry.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Urology
- Child Development
Background:
- Nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence are common childhood conditions.
- These conditions may impact a child's psychological well-being and self-esteem.
- Understanding the relationship between incontinence and self-esteem is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate self-esteem differences in children with nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence compared to controls.
- To assess the impact of treatment on self-esteem in children with urinary incontinence.
- To identify factors associated with self-esteem in this population.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- Participants were children from Umeå, Sweden, with and without urinary incontinence.
- Self-esteem was measured using a validated Swedish questionnaire before and after a 6-month treatment period.
Main Results:
- Children with incontinence had significantly lower self-esteem pre-treatment (P < 0.001).
- Post-treatment, patients' self-esteem levels matched those of the control group.
- Achieving dryness at 6 months correlated with significantly better self-esteem (P < 0.01).
- Lower socioeconomic status and being male were associated with lower self-esteem.
Conclusions:
- Nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence are linked to impaired self-esteem in children.
- Effective treatment for urinary incontinence can restore children's self-esteem.
- Socioeconomic factors and gender may influence self-esteem in children with incontinence.
Abstract:
A case control study was designed to study self-esteem in children with nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence. The patients and the controls were recruited from the normal population in the town of Umeå, Sweden. Medical and psychological examinations were performed before the start of treatment. Follow up investigations were carried out at 3 and 6 months after starting treatment. Self-esteem was measured using a Swedish self-answering questionnaire that was known to have good psychometric properties. Statistically significant impairment of self-esteem was observed between patients and control children before starting treatment (P < 0.001). After 6 months treatment, the patients had the same levels of self-esteem as the control group. Self-esteem was significantly better in patients that were totally dry at 6 months follow up compared with the patients with persisting urinary problems (P < 0.01). Children from lower socioeconomic groups were found to have lower self-esteem than children from higher socioeconomic groups; boys were also found to have lower self-esteem than girls.