Garley, Ailyn and Unwin, Jennifer (2006) A case series to pilot cognitive behaviour therapy for women with urinary incontinence. British Journal of Health Psychology, 11 (3). pp. 373-386. ISSN 1359-107X
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Objective. Psychological factors have been identified with respect to female urinary incontinence. However, there is limited research regarding psychological interventions. The effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as a treatment for women with urinary incontinence was investigated. Design. The study adopted an AB case series design with a follow-up phase. Methods. Ten women with urinary incontinence each attended individual sessions. The Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) were administered pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-months post-treatment. Participants kept weekly records of bladder functioning. An unstandardized client satisfaction questionnaire was administered at 3-months post-treatment. Results. Anxiety and depression, as measured by the HADS did not show any significant changes. Improvements in incontinence-related quality of life reached statistical significance at the post-treatment administration and were maintained at the 3-months post-treatment follow-up. Significant changes in bladder functioning were not apparent until the 3-month post-treatment follow-up. The satisfaction questionnaires suggest that the participants found the intervention of value. Conclusions. The findings of this study tentatively suggest that incontinence-related quality of life might be improved by involvement in a CBT intervention. Some modest improvements occurred in bladder functioning. Further research is required to confirm these findings.