Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Nov;52(11):1870-4.
doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52509.x.

Urinary incontinence and psychological distress in community-dwelling older African Americans and whites

Hillary R Bogner  1
Affiliations

Urinary incontinence and psychological distress in community-dwelling older African Americans and whites

Hillary R Bogner. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the association between urinary incontinence (UI) and psychological distress in older African Americans and whites.

Design: A population-based longitudinal survey.

Setting: Continuing participants in a study of community-dwelling adults who were initially living in East Baltimore in 1981.

Participants: African Americans and whites aged 50 and older at follow-up interviews performed between 1993 and 1996 for whom complete data were available (n=747).

Measurements: Participants were classified as incontinent if any uncontrolled urine loss within the 12 months before the interview was reported. Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).

Results: African Americans with UI were more likely to experience psychological distress as measured using the GHQ than were African Americans without UI (unadjusted odds ratio=4.22, 95% confidence interval=1.72-10.39). In multivariate models that controlled for age, sex, education, functional status, cognitive status, and chronic medical conditions, this association remained statistically significant. The association between UI and psychological distress did not achieve statistical significance in whites.

Conclusion: The effect of UI on emotional well-being may be greater for African Americans than for whites.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Thom D. Variation in estimates of urinary incontinence prevalence in the community: Effects of differences in definition, population characteristics, and study type. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998;46:473–480. - PubMed
    1. Mohide EA. The prevalence and scope of urinary incontinence. Clin Geriatr Med. 1986;2:639–655. - PubMed
    1. Herzog AR, Diokno AC, Brown MB, et al. Two-year incidence, remission, and change patterns of urinary incontinence in noninstitutionalized older adults. J Gerontol. 1990;45:M67–M74. - PubMed
    1. Fultz NH, Herzog AR, Raghunathan TE, et al. Prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence in older African American and Caucasian women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1999;54A:M299–M303. - PubMed
    1. Sze EHM, Jones WP, Ferguson JL, et al. Prevalence of urinary incontinence symptoms among black, white and Hispanic women. Obstet Gynecol. 2002;99:572–575. - PubMed

Publication types