Health-related quality of life and mental health in older women with urinary incontinence

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare health-related quality of life (QOL) and mental health between older women with and without urinary incontinence.

Method: This study is a secondary data analysis using raw data from 1874 women aged 65 years or older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) IV (2008-2009), a nationally representative sample.

Results: In the pain/discomfort dimension of the EuroQol-5, 25.4% of the participants experienced urinary incontinence and 14.7% did not (p = .001). In the anxiety/depression dimension, urinary incontinence was present in 8.3% of the participants and absent in 3.6% (p = 0.012). In addition, the results of an ANCOVA showed that scores in both the EuroQol visual analogue scale and the EQ-5D index were significantly lower in participants with urinary incontinence relative to those without. The risk of stress and depression in older women with urinary incontinence was approximately 2 and 1.5 times higher, respectively, than that of participants without urinary incontinence.

Conclusion: Health-related QOL in older women with urinary incontinence was relatively low, while levels of stress and depression were high. Therefore, in order to improve QOL and mental health in older women, the understanding and management of urinary incontinence interventions is required.

Keywords: health-related quality of life; mental health; older women; urinary incontinence.