Adherence in children with nocturnal enuresis

Abstract

The treatment of enuresis requires adherence to several guidelines often over a long period of time. The aims of this study were 1) to investigate adherence to the medical treatment regime for enuresis and its influence on therapeutic success, and 2) to gain insight into the socio-demographic, medical, familial and psychological predictors of adherence. For 41 children (6-12 years) with nocturnal enuresis, adherence to four common guidelines (drinking and voiding schedule, toilet posture and medication intake) was measured at 1, 3 and 5 months after treatment. Mean adherence to the medical regime is about 70% according to both child and parent reports at the 24-h recall interview. Greater adherence, particularly to the drinking schedule, was associated with greater therapeutic success after 6 months. The best predictor of good adherence was a positive perception of one's physical appearance and to a lesser extent low levels of stress related to the treatment of the disorder.