One hundred and fifty men with urinary incontinence: III. Psychosocial consequences

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the psychosocial impact of urinary incontinence among men. Design: Telephone interviews with men who had give their written consent to participate. Subjects: 150 men were available for interviews out of 571 who had asked for information about urinary incontinence and free samples of pads by post. Main outcome measures: Questionnaire which mapped demographic data, occupational status, medical history, medication, and toilet habits. Duration, frequency, and amount of leakage were registered, and the incontinence was classified according to a symptom questionnaire. Consultations and other sources of help were also registered, together with use of control methods, emotional, practical, and social consequences. Results: Twenty-four per cent stated that their incontinence was a negligible problem. Generally, increasing severity of the incontinence caused more mental distress and social restrictions. Younger men were more handicapped than the older men. Practical inconveniences and social restrictions increased with longer duration of the incontinence. A multiple regression analysis, using a severity index, duration, type, and age as explanatory variables for the degree of mental distress, practical inconveniences, and social restrictions could explain 7%, 12%, and 25% of the variation in these groups of consequences, respectively. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence is associated with negative psychosocial effects, the impact increasing with the severity of the incontinence and decreasing with age of the incontinent men.