Children's notions about enuresis and the implications for treatment

Abstract

Children with nocturnal enuresis (n = 50) completed a range of measures designed to elicit their attitudes and perceptions regarding the problem prior to any treatment intervention. The measures included belief over aetiology, perceived impact on lifestyle, self image, estimates of parental tolerance and implications of becoming dry. Treatment consisted of the body worn enuresis alarm (9), with children followed up for 16 weeks. Child measures were related to outcome measures and a model linking presence of implications, negative self image and belief in incomplete learning of bladder control emerged as important predictors of treatment outcome. The implications of this result are discussed with reference to the clinical context.