Psychological Problems in Children with Bedwetting and Combined (day and night) Wetting: A UK Population-Based Study

Objective To investigate the psychological problems associated with bedwetting and combined (day and night) wetting in children aged around 7 years. Methods Participants were a cohort of over 8000 children enrolled in the population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Parents completed postal questionnaires assessing common childhood psychological problems, and children were asked about behavior, friendships, bullying, and self-esteem in clinical interviews. The rates of psychological problems were compared in children with bedwetting, combined wetting, and in children with no wetting problems. Results The study found a higher rate of parent-reported psychological problems in children with bedwetting and combined wetting compared with those with no wetting problems. Children with combined wetting were particularly at risk for externalizing problems. There was little difference with the child-reported measures. Conclusions Bedwetting and combined wetting are associated with parent-reported psychological problems and combined wetting confers an increased risk for externalizing problems. Key words bedwetting; behavior; daytime wetting; enuresis; psychological problems. Bedwetting is a prevalent and potentially distressing experience for children and their parents (Butler, 1994; 1998). Around 15–22 % of boys and 7–15 % of girls wet the bed at 7 years of age, with almost 3 % wetting more than twice a week (Butler, Golding, & Northstone, 2005). Combined (day and night) wetting has been reported in 3.3 % of 7-year-olds (Butler et al., 2005) and 4 % of children aged 5–12 years (Bower, Moore