Psychopathology and Parental Stress in 3–6-Year-Old Children with Incontinence

Abstract

Abstract. Objective: Incontinence and functional gastrointestinal disorders are common in young children and are associated with higher rates of psychological symptoms and mental disorders. This article focuses on the mutual association between incontinence and related toilet refusal syndrome, parental stress, and children’s psychopathology especially in young children. Methods: Children’s psychological symptoms, mental disorders, and parental stress levels were assessed in 38 parent-child dyads involving children with incontinence and 42 dyads of typically developing (TD) children. Results: Compared to TD children, patients had higher internalizing and externalizing CBCL scores and higher rates of clinically relevant externalizing problems. However, the rates of clinically relevant internalizing problems and mental disorders did not differ. The parents of children with incontinence reported significantly higher stress levels regarding child-related stress factors (PSI-CD) than did parents of TD children. However, there were no clinically relevant parental stress scores on a group level, which remained below the clinical range (T-value < 60). When simultaneously analyzed, children’s (comorbid) mental disorders but not incontinence had a major impact on parental stress. Conclusions: Despite moderate stress levels, incontinence symptoms, urinary and fecal incontinence are highly prevalent in young children. However, stress among parents of young children was mainly elicited by any (comorbid) mental disorder.