[Enuresis in children 5-18 years old in severe dysfunctional families].
In a primary care setting 698 children aged 5-18 years were examined and 27 in 21 families were found to have enuresis nocturna. The control group included 127 children in 79 families who did not have enuresis. 13 (48.1%) children with enuresis, but only 8 (6.3%) control children, were from severe dysfunctional families. Such families are characterized by chronic and persistent conflicts, absence of closeness and lack of trust between parents and children, and lack of parental support (p < 0.001). Results were similar for boys and girls. The rate of parents with 8 or fewer years of education was significantly higher among children with enuresis as compared to controls, both with regard to fathers (p = 0.05) and mothers (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that severe dysfunctional families do not support maturation and personality development of their members. Early discovery of severe dysfunctional families promotes early intervention and effective treatment of enuresis in childhood.
Ben-Noun
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Dept. of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004775:Enuresis / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010553:Personality Development