The effect of urinary incontinence on quality of life and self-esteem in children

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of urinary incontinence in children on their quality of life and self-esteem. Method: This is a quantitative study based on a relational screening model. Using a cross-sectional design, the effects of urinary incontinence on children's quality of life and self-esteem were examined. The study sample consists of 60 children aged 5-16 with lower urinary tract dysfunction diagnosed with urinary incontinence symptoms for the study group, and 60 randomly selected children aged 5-16 for the control group. The data for the study were collected between March 2024 and June 2024. The 'Personal Assessment Form', 'Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RBSÖ),' and 'General Purpose Child Quality of Life Scale (KINDL)' were used in the data collection. Independent group t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Chi-Square analyses were used in the data analysis. Results: The mean age of the control group was 10.30±2.21, while the mean age of the patient group was 9.13±2.38. According to the comparisons made in the study, it was found that the control group scored significantly higher than the patient group on all subdimensions. The control group had statistically significantly higher scores in the physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-esteem, family, friends, school subdimensions, disease scores, and overall KINDL total scores, respectively (p=0.001). These findings highlight the negative impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life in children (p=0.001). In the comparison based on the RBSÖ, the control group's self-esteem scores were found to be significantly higher than those of the patient group (p = 0.001). This difference shows that the self-esteem of the control group is statistically significantly higher than that of the patient group (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study shows that enuresis in children is associated with factors such as low socioeconomic status, divorced family structure, history of urinary tract infections, and constipation. Children with enuresis have lower quality of life in terms of physical, emotional, and social aspects, and their self-esteem is also lower. Parental education and psychosocial support within the family play a significant role. These findings emphasize the need for psychological and social support programs in addition to medical treatment for children. Keywords: quality of life, children, self-esteem, urinary incontinence.