Enuresis and encopresis in a South Indian population of children

Introduction Though bladder and bowel control are important developmental m ilestones in all cultures, the prevalence of enuresis and encopresis has ra rely been studied in developing countries despite there being factors in th ese countries that could affect it, This study reports the prevalence and a ssociations of enuresis and encopresis in children in Kerala, India. Method The parents of 1403 randomly selected 8-12-year-old children were in terviewed. The prevalence of enuresis and encopresis was ascertained using Rutter's A2 scale. Subsamples of children underwent psychiatric, physical a nd psychometric evaluations. Results Of the children, 18.6% had had an episode of enursis in the past ye ar and 4.3% in the past week. Four per cent had had an episode of encopresi s in the past year. Enuresis was associated with parents' education, physic al and psychiatric symptoms in the child, poor academic achievement and lax parental attitudes to toilet training. Encopresis was associated with male sex, physical and psychiatric symptoms, poor academic achievement, early s eparation and not having a toilet. Discussion The prevalence of enuresis compares with western countries, but encopresis is commoner. The associations of enuresis suggested a multifacto rial model in which parental competence was prominent. This study deemphasi zed the importance of neurodevelopmental factors in anuresis end encopresis in this age group.