Attaining nocturnal urinary control, nocturnal enuresis, and behavioral problems in Chinese children aged 6 through 16 years.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis and to examine associations between nocturnal urinary control or enuresis and behavioral problems in Chinese children.


METHODS
A community sample of 3,600 children aged 6 through 16 years was drawn from Shandong Province of China in 1997; 3,344 (93%) returned completed questionnaires. The Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher's Report Form were used to measure children's behavioral problems.


RESULTS
The proportion of children attaining nocturnal urinary control before age 2 was 7.7%; by age 3, this had increased to 53.1%, and by age 5 to 93%. The overall prevalence of nocturnal enuresis was 4.3%, with a significantly higher prevalence in boys than girls. There was no significant decrease in the prevalence of enuresis between 6 and 16 years of age. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that attaining nocturnal urinary control after age 4 and current enuresis were significantly associated with an increased risk of behavioral, emotional, and academic problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Chinese children attain nocturnal urinary control earlier than Western children. The prevalence of nocturnal enuresis is low but fairly stable in children between 6 and 16 years. The findings support the link between nocturnal enuresis and psychopathology in children and adolescents.
Liu
X
X
Department of Psychiatry, Shandong Medical University, People's Republic of China. liu7@niehs.nih.gov
Sun
Z
Z
Uchiyama
M
M
Li
Y
Y
Okawa
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004775:Enuresis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014039:Toilet Training