Pakistani women’s perceptions and experiences of incontinence

Abstract

To provide an effective continence service to Pakistani women with incontinence, it is necessary for healthcare professionals to understand their cultural and religious identities.

Psychocultural meanings of urinary incontinence in women: a review

“…European countries, inhibitions and limitations of language prevent them from clearly reporting their condition to the healthcare professionals and completely understanding the orientations they receive, which suggests that inadequate care may be adopted (14)(15)(16) . The inhibitions may be reduced when treated by a female healthcare professional.…”

“…However, Muslim women resort to prayers to minimize their anguish, but this comfort may be denied due to being unclean, therefore increasing their stress (16) . Losing urine would represent a sinful and unclean phenomenon, experiencing personal cleanliness as a heavy burden, since they feel physically dirty when urinary loss occurs, and the ritual of cleaning is needed more frequently so that they can keep themselves clean (15) .…”

“…For some Muslim women, being a UI sufferer means having to be reserved, isolated and with feelings of low self-esteem (16) . Similar to what happens to Jewish women, incontinence for the Muslim women led to the limitation of religious life, related to the need of cleanliness for the practice of prayer (15)(16) .…”

“…Among those who studied women from Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan and India, the population was constituted by immigrants living in European countries (14)(15)(16) . There seem to be similarities in the psychological meanings of UI for women living in different cultures, ethnic groups and social conditions; however, regarding religious practices, the experiences of incontinent women can interfere with following some religions (15)(16) .…”

“…Losing urine would represent a sinful and unclean phenomenon, experiencing personal cleanliness as a heavy burden, since they feel physically dirty when urinary loss occurs, and the ritual of cleaning is needed more frequently so that they can keep themselves clean (15) . Experiencing incontinence during the cleansing ceremony makes them feel filthy and impure because, after the body cleaning, it becomes indispensable to repeat prayers before restarting the cleansing rituals (15)(16) .…”