Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although some empirical investigations have explored the impact of nocturnal enuresis for sufferers, little is known about how children in general understand nocturnal enuresis. This study employed a large cohort of children at 9 years, asking directly about the perceived difficulty of bed-wetting in relation to an extensive range of life events.
METHOD: The sample comprised 8209 children, 4012 (48.9%) male and 4197 (51.1%) female who, as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children survey, completed a booklet called 'My World' which included a section of 21 items concerned with childhood difficulties.
RESULTS: Bed-wetting was highly endorsed as a difficulty for children, and factor analysis revealed it to be construed as a social problem. Girls were more likely to consider events of a social and emotional nature to be difficult, whereas boys rated antisocial events as more problematic. Boys and those who suffer from nocturnal enuresis were significantly more likely to view bed-wetting as more difficult for children.
CONCLUSION: Bed-wetting, which is construed as a social issue, tends to be rated as a major difficulty for children, increasingly so for boys and those who suffer from nocturnal enuresis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 65-70 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Child: Care, Health and Development |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- Adaptation, Psychological
- Attitude
- Child
- Cohort Studies
- Factor Analysis, Statistical
- Female
- Great Britain
- Humans
- Male
- Nocturnal Enuresis
- Questionnaires
- Sex Distribution
- Sex Factors