Living with Urinary Incontinence: Potential Risks of Women’s Health? A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Female Patients Seeking Care for the First Time in a Specialized Center

María Zahara Pintos-Díaz, Cristina Alonso-Blanco, Paula Parás-Bravo, César Fernández- de-las-Peñas, María Paz-Zulueta, Víctor Fradejas-Sastre and Domingo Palacios-Ceña
Additional contact information
María Zahara Pintos-Díaz: Department of Rehabilitation, Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid Health Service, Avda, Cordoba, 28041 Madrid, Spain
Cristina Alonso-Blanco: Department of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Physical Medicine, University Rey Juan Carlos, Avda de Atenas, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain
Paula Parás-Bravo: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Cantabria, Avda Valdecilla, Santander, 39008 Cantabria, Spain
César Fernández- de-las-Peñas: Department of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Physical Medicine, University Rey Juan Carlos, Avda de Atenas, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain
María Paz-Zulueta: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Cantabria, Avda Valdecilla, Santander, 39008 Cantabria, Spain
Víctor Fradejas-Sastre: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Cantabria, Avda Valdecilla, Santander, 39008 Cantabria, Spain
Domingo Palacios-Ceña: Department of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Physical Medicine, University Rey Juan Carlos, Avda de Atenas, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) represents a complex problem which commonly affects women and influences their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of a group of women with urinary incontinence. Methods: A qualitative exploratory study. Purposeful sampling was used. Recruited patients were females aged >18 years old with positive symptoms, signs of urinary incontinence, and attending a specialized urinary incontinence center for the first time. We collected data using interviews and participants’ personal letters. A thematic analysis was performed. Results: 18 women participated with a mean age of 47.32 years. Four themes emerged: (a) Experiencing uncontrolled urinary leakage, (b) Information based on beliefs and myths regarding UI, (c) Adapting to change and developing strategies, (d) The role of education. Women’s experiences were accompanied by feelings of stress and shame. A lack of information regarding UI was found, together with numerous misconceptions. Urinary incontinence triggers many changes in women. Some women may develop feelings of rejection towards their own body. Family involvement during these times is essential for education and promoting healthy sexual practices. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of developing educational programs that focus on women’s information and education regarding triggering factors and coping strategies.

Keywords: urinary incontinence; qualitative study; health education; women (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3781/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3781/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3781-:d:274276

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().