Internalizing and externalizing problem behavior in children with nocturnal and diurnal enuresis: a five-factor model perspective.
OBJECTIVE
To describe personality traits, internalizing, and externalizing problems of 6- to 12-year-old children with nocturnal and diurnal enuresis, examining differences from healthy referents, and investigating the association between personality traits and problem behavior.


METHODS
Eighty-five children with combined nocturnal and diurnal enuresis were compared with 56 children with nocturnal enuresis and 155 healthy children on personality characteristics and problem behavior.


RESULTS
Post hoc analyses of multivariate analyses indicated that parents of children with combined nocturnal and diurnal enuresis reported on average lower conscientiousness and higher neuroticism scores in their children than parents of healthy children, although the magnitude of these differences was moderate. Considerable differences in mean scores were found for the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total problem scale and moderate differences for internalizing, externalizing, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) problems in children with nocturnal and diurnal enuresis compared with healthy referents. Regression analyses across enuretic and healthy groups demonstrated that personality trait and problem behavior scales share substantial variance.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate to substantially higher levels of problem behavior is demonstrated in children with nocturnal and diurnal enuresis, who also display slightly higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness scores.
Van Hoecke
Eline
E
Pediatric Uro/Nephrologic Centre, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. eline.vanhoecke@ugent.be
De Fruyt
Filip
F
De Clercq
Barbara
B
Hoebeke
Piet
P
Vande Walle
Johan
J
D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004775:Enuresis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory