Effect of Urinary Incontinence on the Quality of Life of Older Adults in Riyadh: Medical and Sociocultural Perspectives

Abstract

The objective of the study is to determine the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on the quality of life (QoL) of the Saudi elderly population. Besides, we investigated individuals' help-seeking behaviors and the religious and cultural aspects of UI among the Saudi elderly. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using a random sample of 150 Saudi older adults of both genders. The participants were outpatient clinics of government and private hospitals in Riyadh from January-March 2019. Volunteer medical students interviewed and distributed a standard questionnaire form (Arabic version of the ICIQ-SF [International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire] with 33 additional questions, four of which came from them from the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) to the targeted population. Results In this study, there were 124 elderly participants (response rate 83%), of whom 62.9% were women. The mean age was 71.9 (±7.8). The "moderate" and "severe" ICIQ scores account for 78 (62.9%) and 32 (25.8%), respectively. There was a significant association between the ICIQ scores severity of UI and increasing BMI, nocturnal diuresis, urinary tract infection, and lung diseases. However, 36.3% of participants did not seek help due to misconceptions about UI and aging, unavailability of treatment, and embarrassment of sharing such symptoms with others. The participants suffered from limitations of social life (36.3%), a negative impact on their physical activity (18.5%), personal hygiene (21.8%), and their self-esteem (32.3%). About 17% and 33.1% of participants repeat ablution and prayers of participants, respectively. Conclusions Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and distressing problem in the elderly. A large proportion of the participants had a detrimental effect on their quality of life. A substantial percentage of older adults did not seek help. As a result, we recommended raising awareness about UI, QoL, the misconceptions, and encourage them to overcome the stigma of embarrassment and seek medical help.

Perceptions of pelvic floor dysfunction and rehabilitation care amongst women in southeast China after radical hysterectomy: a qualitative study

“…Secondly, the public’s misconceptions about PFD stigmatised women with this disease because of poor social awareness. The stigma reduces the possibility of women disclosing their illness and seeking help [ 24 ]. Thirdly, owing to the overarching influence of traditional Chinese concepts, some women in rural areas have a low degree of self-identity and largely rely on their husbands when it comes to making decisions about major family affairs [ 25 ].…”

Perceptions of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Rehabilitation Care Among Women in Southeast China After Radical Hysterectomy: a Qualitative Study

“…Second, the public's misconceptions on PFD stigmatized the women with this disease because of poor social awareness. The stigma reduces the possibility of women disclosing their illness and seeking help [27]. Third, owing to the overarching in uence of traditional Chinese concepts, some women in rural areas have a low degree of self-identity and largely rely on their husbands when it comes to making decisions about major family affairs [28].…”

Psychosocial Experiences of Older Women in the Management of Urinary Incontinence: A Qualitative Study

“…How the older adults cope with this disease, and attitudes about this disease are very important in the older adults and the society in which the older adults live ( Avery et al, 2013 ) and can affect their psychosocial health as well as their quality of life ( Alshammari et al, 2020 ). Evidence has demonstrated that older women handle these hurdles depending on their social and cultural backgrounds.…”

“…In other words, each disease is caused, experienced, and managed differently by different people based on the social and cultural backgrounds of the society they live in van den Muijsenbergh and Lagro-Janssen (2006) , Andersson et al (2008) , Hayder and Schnepp (2010) , Gjerde (2012) , Shirazi et al (2014) , Özkan et al (2015) , Heidari et al (2021) , Shakery et al (2021) . Thus, to determine the psychosocial effects of urinary incontinence on older women, their sociocultural backgrounds should be considered ( Sinclair and Ramsay, 2011 ; Laganà et al, 2014 ; Alshammari et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, regarding each society’s sociocultural backgrounds, identifying the experiences of older women suffering from urinary incontinence, finding the strategies they use for the management of the disease, and determining the effects of those strategies on various health dimensions, particularly psychosocial health, can help nurses and other healthcare team members identify and evaluate this problem amongst older women and take measures to provide these patients with training and healthcare services.…”