Results of a questionnaire evaluating different aspects of personal and familial situation, and the methods of potty-training in two groups of children with a different outcome of bladder control

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the family situation, personal b ehaviour and current micturition habits, the time of beginning and the meth od of potty-training in two groups of children with different outcomes of b ladder control. Material and Methods: Parents of 140 children, between 7 and 15 years old, filled in a questionnaire comprising 43 questions. They were divided into a symptom group (n = 73) and a symptom-free group (n = 67) according to the outcome of bladder control. Results: Parents remembered clearly the method of training and the time of starting the potty-training to achieve continence in their child, and the e xact age at which these objectives were achieved. There was some confusion regarding the term incontinence: the majority of the parents (70%) consider ed their child to be continent in spite of day-wetting several times a week . All children with urge syndrome who had undergone a urodynamic investigat ion (n = 50) had an objective functional bladder disorder. Conclusions: Methods of training differed between the groups with and witho ut lasting problems. The symptom group started training at a later age, had more tendency to punish and were more demanding when micturition did not s tart readily. The findings from the questionnaire strengthen the hypothesis that urge syndrome can be due to poor methods of potty-training. Very few parents searched spontaneously for help, which should prompt practitioners and paediatricians to be more alert to this problem.