Psychogenic urinary retention ('paruresis'): diagnosis and epidemiology in a representative male sample.
BACKGROUND
Although research interest in social phobias has expanded during the last decade, a special subtype of social phobia known as paruresis, which manifests in the inability to urinate in public rest rooms, is rarely mentioned. The aim of the present study was to achieve for the first time an estimation of point prevalence in a representative male sample (n = 1,105).


METHODS
Due to the lack of well-established screening instruments for paruresis, the Paruresis Checklist (PCL) must be tested for reliability and validity. An empirically based cutoff score must be determined by using the subjective interference with everyday life as an external criterion.


RESULTS
Reliability of the PCL seemed to be sufficient, and adequate evidence for validity was found. Using the empirically based cutoff score of the PCL, 2.8% of the sample was diagnosed as suffering from paruresis. In contrast to other forms of social phobia, paruresis is not associated with a lower educational or occupational level.
Hammelstein
Philipp
P
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany. philipp.hammelstein@uni-duesseldorf.de
Pietrowsky
Reinhard
R
Merbach
Martin
M
Brähler
Elmar
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology