[Psychology of urinary incontinence. I. Comparison of women with urgent and stress incontinence before initiation of therapy].

OBJECTIVE OF STUDY: Comparison of psychological characteristics of untreated female patients with urgent and stress urinary incontinence.

DESIGN

First stage of a perspective comparative study.

SETTING

Gynaecological and Obstetric Department of the Municipal Hospital Neratovice, Urogynaecological out-patient dept. of the Institute for Mother and Child in Prague-Podolí, the Urogynaecological out-patient dept. of the Gynaecological and Obstetric Clinic of the First Medical Faculty Charles University and General Faculty Hospital Prague.

METHODS

The study compares a group of 54 patients with stress incontinence and a group of 16 patients with urgent incontinence. Before the onset of therapy the patients were examined by a series of psychodiagnostic tests: MMPI/100 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, abridged version), STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), SCL-90 (Symptom Check List), Lüscher's colour test, guided interview. For statistical evaluation the sign test and t-test were used.

RESULTS

In the MMPI/100 and SCL-90 questionnaires a significant difference was found, i.e. a greater psychopathology in women with urgent incontinence (in both instances p < 0.01). The two groups did not differ in any single scale. STAI and the interview did not reveal any significant differences with the exception of greater importance of sexual contact in women with urgent incontinence (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In the group of women with urgent incontinence a higher non-specific psychopathology was proved as compared with women with stress incontinence.