title: Long-term disease-specific quality of life in adult anorectal malformation patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fecal and urinary incontinence may differently influence various aspects of quality of life (QOL). The main aim of the present study is to determine whether fecal and urinary incontinence measured at time 1 of the study will predict QOL at time 2 (after 4 years), above and beyond the prediction already explained by fecal and urinary incontinence at time 2.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six adult patients from the Italian Parents' and Patients' Association for Anorectal Malformations answered items about urinary and fecal incontinence at time 1 of the study and completed the Hirschsprung Disease/Anorectal Malformation Quality of Life questionnaire after 4 years from the first questionnaire. Two sets of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with fecal and urinary incontinence serving as predictors of QOL and the different areas of QOL from the Hirschsprung Disease/Anorectal Malformation Quality of Life serving as outcome variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The principal findings indicated that fecal continence is a strong predictor of QOL in the areas of social functioning, emotional functioning, and body image and that urinary incontinence predicted sexual functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that one's past experience with fecal incontinence is extremely relevant to current QOL, especially for body image. Urinary incontinence contributed less in explaining QOL in our patients, but because it is very relevant for sexual functioning, it should not be disregarded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza," 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: caterina.grano@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grano
authors.affiliation: Italian Parents and Patients Organization for Anorectal Malformation (AIMAR), 00199 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: aimar@aimar.eu.
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aminoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Development Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza," 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: fabio.lucidi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lucidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza," 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: cristiano.violani@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Violani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000002:abnormalities*; D001004:Anus Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D003672:Defecation; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D012007:Rectum / Q000002:abnormalities*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014554:Urination; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult