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.