Incontinence & Intimate Partners: Assessing the Contribution of Treatment

Summary

Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is a socially debilitating disease due to its inherently unpredictable nature and sometimes large volumes of urine loss. Women with UUI may experience anxiety over public episodes of incontinence and concerns about odor and, as a result, isolate themselves socially. This isolation affects both partners in the relationship and may be a source of discord. The impact of UUI also moves into personal relationships where fears or actual episodes of incontinence during physical intimacy, including but limited to intercourse, may result in limited interactions and changes in the relationship satisfaction for both partners. Few studies have examined the role of urinary incontinence, particularly UUI, in the dynamics of an intimate partner relationship and none have evaluated the impact of successful UUI treatment. The long-term goal of our research is to understand the social and emotional impact of pelvic floor disorders, particularly UUI, on the well-being of an intimate relationship. Ultimately, we aim to evaluate the role that successful treatment plays in the alleviation of discord in intimate partner relationships that are affected by UUI and other pelvic floor disorders. Our objective for this proposal is to characterize, using validated, quantifiable methods the quality of the relationship in couples affected by UUI and to identify the role that treatment plays in improving this relationship. Our central hypothesis is that UUI has a negative impact upon the emotional and physical well-being of a relationship and that effective treatment will result in improvement in areas of the relationship that have been detrimentally affected by UUI. Our rationale for this study is that an understanding of UUI in the context of a couple, particularly from the perspective of the male partner, will improve our ability to holistically treat UUI, thus improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Timeline

Start

2012-03-09

Primary completion

2017-06-29

Completion

2017-06-29

Publications

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• Background Coyne KS, Wein AJ, Tubaro A, Sexton CC, Thompson CL, Kopp ZS, Aiyer LP. The burden of lower urinary tract symptoms: evaluating the effect of LUTS on health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression: EpiLUTS. BJU Int. 2009 Apr;103 Suppl 3:4-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2009.08371.x.
• Background Litman HJ, Steers WD, Wei JT, Kupelian V, Link CL, McKinlay JB; Boston Area Community Health Survey Investigators. Relationship of lifestyle and clinical factors to lower urinary tract symptoms: results from Boston Area Community Health survey. Urology. 2007 Nov;70(5):916-21. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2007.06.1117. Epub 2007 Oct 24.
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• Background Yip SK, Chan A, Pang S, Leung P, Tang C, Shek D, Chung T. The impact of urodynamic stress incontinence and detrusor overactivity on marital relationship and sexual function. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003 May;188(5):1244-8. doi: 10.1067/mob.2003.273.
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• Background Rogers RG, Coates KW, Kammerer-Doak D, Khalsa S, Qualls C. A short form of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12). Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2003 Aug;14(3):164-8; discussion 168. doi: 10.1007/s00192-003-1063-2. Epub 2003 Jul 25.
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• Background Jacobson NS. A component analysis of behavioral marital therapy: the relative effectiveness of behavior exchange and communication/problem-solving training. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1984 Apr;52(2):295-305. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.52.2.295. No abstract available.
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• Background Nathan EP, Joanning HH. Enhancing marital sexuality: an evaluation of a program for the sexual enrichment of normal couples. J Sex Marital Ther. 1985 Fall;11(3):157-64. doi: 10.1080/00926238508405441.

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