THE URINARY MANIFESTATIONS OF ANXIETY IN CHILD

Abstract
This report comprises concurrent studies of the urologic and psychiatric manifestations of intrapsychic conflict among a group of children who had been admitted to the surgical wards of The Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, between 1965 to 1970 for complaints of disordered urination. Experience with these children indicates that anxiety can alter the frequency and disturb the adequacy of voiding to a degree sufficient to dispose the child to urinary tract infection. This effect of anxiety can occur both in the presence or absence of a demonstrable anatomic lesion. It suggests that an assessment of the degree and nature of the child's anxiety should be an integral part of the pediatric urologic examination.