Comparing the Effectiveness of Four Common Techniques Used to Treat Nocturnal Enuresis
Comparing the Effectiveness of Four Common Techniques Used to Treat Nocturnal Enuresis
Tiffiny H. Winters
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Abstract The proposed research is designed to combine 1 pharmaceutical treatment technique and 2 common behavioral interventions and assess the effect they have on the frequency of night-time wetting in children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old who suffer from nocturnal enuresis. I will randomly assign 120 child participants to one of six treatment groups which test them on varying degrees of the independent variables. Participants will be tested for a period of 30 days prior to the intervention application to determine a baseline rate of occurrence of enuresis, then tested again for 30 days while applying the intervention strategies to determine if there is a significant change in the frequency of the occurrences. I predict that the groups receiving the behavioral training paired with the anti-diuretic medication will have fewer episodes of enuresis in a shorter amount of time during treatment, and have a slight increase in instances of regression after ceasing treatment. I also predict that the treatment groups that do not receive the anti-diuretic will have a slower rate of progression during the experiment, but the progression will stay primarily steady after treatment has ceased.
Comparing the Effectiveness of Four Common Techniques Used to Treat Nocturnal Enuresis Nocturnal enuresis is a common childhood disorder, but can be a potentially distressing experience for children and parents alike. It has been defined as an “involuntary voiding of urine during sleep, with severity of at least twice a week, in children over 5 years of age, when not provoked by congenital or acquired defects of the central nervous system or by the direct physiological effect of substances such as a diuretic” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000); Butler & Gasson, 2005). This disorder has many stressful
Tiffiny H. Winters
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Abstract The proposed research is designed to combine 1 pharmaceutical treatment technique and 2 common behavioral interventions and assess the effect they have on the frequency of night-time wetting in children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old who suffer from nocturnal enuresis. I will randomly assign 120 child participants to one of six treatment groups which test them on varying degrees of the independent variables. Participants will be tested for a period of 30 days prior to the intervention application to determine a baseline rate of occurrence of enuresis, then tested again for 30 days while applying the intervention strategies to determine if there is a significant change in the frequency of the occurrences. I predict that the groups receiving the behavioral training paired with the anti-diuretic medication will have fewer episodes of enuresis in a shorter amount of time during treatment, and have a slight increase in instances of regression after ceasing treatment. I also predict that the treatment groups that do not receive the anti-diuretic will have a slower rate of progression during the experiment, but the progression will stay primarily steady after treatment has ceased.
Comparing the Effectiveness of Four Common Techniques Used to Treat Nocturnal Enuresis Nocturnal enuresis is a common childhood disorder, but can be a potentially distressing experience for children and parents alike. It has been defined as an “involuntary voiding of urine during sleep, with severity of at least twice a week, in children over 5 years of age, when not provoked by congenital or acquired defects of the central nervous system or by the direct physiological effect of substances such as a diuretic” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000); Butler & Gasson, 2005). This disorder has many stressful
References: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (4th ed.). Washington, DC: doi: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349 Brown, M. L., Pope, A. W., & Brown, E. J. (2010). Treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis in children: A review. Child: Care, Health, and Development, 37(2), 153-160. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01146.x Butler, R. J., & Gasson, S. L. (2005). Enuresis alarm treatment. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, 39, 349-357. Butler, R. J., & Heron, J. (2008). The prevalence of infrequent bedwetting and nocturnal enuresis in childhood: A large british cohort. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, 42, 257-264. Friman, P. C. (2008). Evidence-based therapies for enuresis and encopresis. The Handbook of Evidence-based Therapies for Children and Adolescents: Bridging Science and Practice, II, 311-333. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-73691-4_18 Mellon, M. W., & Houts, A. C. (2006). Nocturnal enuresis: Evidenced-based perspectives in etiology, assessment and treatment. (pp. 432-441). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.