Urinary Incontinence and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Intimate Relationship Satisfaction Among Midlife Women.
Lori Saiki, Robin Meize-Grochowski
PMID 28477970WHAT IT FOUND
Urinary incontinence severity did not predict relationship satisfaction, but poor self-esteem, body image, anxiety, and depression were strongly linked to lower satisfaction.
Assess psychosocial health in all women with incontinence, not just those with severe symptoms.
Key findings
01Urinary incontinence symptom severity showed no significant correlation with relationship satisfaction or other psychosocial measures.
02Poor scores on self-esteem, body image, anxiety, depression, sexual quality of life, and communication were significantly associated with poorer relationship satisfaction.
03Sexual quality of life and depressive symptoms were the strongest unique predictors of relationship satisfaction variance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Small sample size (n=57) limited the ability to detect small effect sizes. Nonprobability sampling and community-based recruitment may introduce bias. Participants were predominantly White, college-educated, and employed, limiting generalizability to other populations. Cross-sectional design cannot establish cause and effect. English fluency was required, excluding Spanish-speaking women in the recruitment area.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that severe urinary incontinence symptoms automatically lead to poor relationship satisfaction or psychosocial distress. The study found no association between symptom severity and these outcomes. Instead, assess the patient's subjective experience of self-esteem, body image, and emotional health, as these were the factors linked to relationship satisfaction.