An exploration of children's views of bed-wetting at 9 years.
BACKGROUND
Although some empirical investigations have explored the impact of nocturnal enuresis for sufferers, little is known about how children in general understand nocturnal enuresis. This study employed a large cohort of children at 9 years, asking directly about the perceived difficulty of bed-wetting in relation to an extensive range of life events.


METHODS
The sample comprised 8209 children, 4012 (48.9%) male and 4197 (51.1%) female who, as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children survey, completed a booklet called 'My World' which included a section of 21 items concerned with childhood difficulties.


RESULTS
Bed-wetting was highly endorsed as a difficulty for children, and factor analysis revealed it to be construed as a social problem. Girls were more likely to consider events of a social and emotional nature to be difficult, whereas boys rated antisocial events as more problematic. Boys and those who suffer from nocturnal enuresis were significantly more likely to view bed-wetting as more difficult for children.


CONCLUSIONS
Bed-wetting, which is construed as a social issue, tends to be rated as a major difficulty for children, increasingly so for boys and those who suffer from nocturnal enuresis.
Butler
R
R
Clinical Psychology Department, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Leeds Primary Care Trust, Leeds, UK. richard.butler@leedsmh.nhs.uk
Heron
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053206:Nocturnal Enuresis / Q000523:psychology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom