Prevalence of enuresis in a community sample of children and adolescents referred for outpatient clinical psychological evaluation: Psychiatric comorbidities and association with intellectual functioning

Abstract

Research suggests a higher prevalence of coexisting behavioural disorders, particularly Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), among children with enuresis in comparison to the general population. Studies generally have consisted of participants attending general paediatric medical clinics as opposed to facilities specialising in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This descriptive investigation examined the frequency of enuresis and its psychiatric comorbidities among 363 children and adolescents referred for outpatient clinical psychological evaluation during a 12-month period. Results revealed that 16% of participants met diagnostic criteria for enuresis and that of these 98% had at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder. Mood disorders were the most common coexisting diagnoses, followed by ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. No association was found between a diagnosis of enuresis and participant intelligence. Implications for mental health providers are discussed.

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and Enuresis co-occurrence in the pediatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Regarding specifically age differences, many studies did not find or did not show significant results (Amiri et al, 2017; Biederman et al, 1995; Elia et al, 2009; Ghanizadeh, 2009, 2010; Gontkovsky, 2011; J. Niemczyk et al, 2015; Justine Niemczyk et al, 2015; Okur et al, 2012; Rodopman-Arman et al, 2011; Tsai et al, 2017; von Gontard et al, 2011; Yang et al, 2013; Yousefichaijan, P., Sharafkhah, M., Salehi, B., Rafiei, M, 2016).…”

“…The study considered comorbidities as: epilepsy, mental retardation, autism, Tourette syndrome, sleep disorder, emotional problem, acute reaction to stress, and adjustment disorder (Tsai et al, 2017). Sleep disorder (Yang et al, 2013) and mental retardation was also assessed by other studies that did not find differences between groups (Gontkovsky, 2011).…”

“…Regarding specifically age differences, many studies did not find or did not show significant results (Amiri et al, 2017;Biederman et al, 1995;Elia et al, 2009;Ghanizadeh, 2009Ghanizadeh, , 2010Gontkovsky, 2011;Justine Niemczyk et al, 2015;Okur et al, 2012;Rodopman-Arman et al, 2011;Tsai et al, 2017;von Gontard et al, 2011;Yang et al, 2013;Yousefichaijan, P., Sharafkhah, M., Salehi, B., Rafiei, M, 2016). In particular, none of the studies that screened both enuretic and non enuretic children for ADHD, found or mentioned such differences (Amiri et al, 2017;Gontkovsky, 2011;Okur et al, 2012;von Gontard et al, 2011;Yousefichaijan, P., Sharafkhah, M., Salehi, B., Rafiei, M, 2016) One of them, in spite of not reaching significant values, found that the mean age for bladder control was higher in the ADHD group (J. .…”

“…Anxiety disorder was analyzed by two other studies without differences (Biederman et al, 1995;Elia et al, 2009). The same was true to encopresis (Gontkovsky, 2011). Obsessive-compulsive disorder was assessed by one other study with no significant score difference between Enuresis and ADHD combined and ADHD only, however, Enuresis and ADHD group scored higher than Enuresis and ADHD group and Enuresis only group (Abd-Elmoneim et al, 2020 (Tsai et al, 2017).…”

Correlation of Parents’ Emotional Intelligence with Enuresis in Children

“…NE is classified into primary enuresis (75%), when nocturnal urinary continence has not been achieved since birth, and secondary enuresis (25%), when bed-wetting occurs in a child with at least 6 months of nighttime dryness (3). Moreover, it can be classified into nonmonosymptomatic (accompanied by daytime urinary symptoms) and monosymptomatic (without daytime urinary symptoms) (4,5).…”