Abstract
The influence of specific pretreatment variables (i.e., age, gender, birth order, number of children in the family, and family history of enuresis) on outpatient urine alarm treatment outcomes was examined. A total of 186 Israeli children between the ages of 4 to 7 participated in the study, and of those, 55 children were 4 years old. The entire sample was used to test the age-related pretreated variable, and all other pretreatment variables were solely analyzed using the sample of 4-year-old children at the time of treatment. The data were derived from two different sources: (a) treatment files from a clinical psychologist, and (b) a six question telephone survey. Statistical analysis revealed evidence that family history is a positive predictor of urine treatment outcomes in young children. For young children with a family history of bedwetting, 71.9% were dry post- treatment, while only 43.5% of young children without a family history of bedwetting were dry post-treatment. Other statistical analysis showed no evidence (p > .05) of pretreatment variables’ (i.e., age, gender, birth-order, and number of children in the family) influence on urine alarm treatment outcomes in young children. The findings indicate that, in young children, a family history of bedwetting is a positive predicator for urine alarm treatment outcomes. Pediatricians and other pediatric health practitioners are encouraged to treat young children with a family history of bedwetting with a urine alarm treatment approach.
