Effects of urinary incontinence: psychological well-being and distress in older community-dwelling women.

Urinary incontinence (UI) has been related to lower quality of life. However, the research has generally been cross-sectional, and causal relationships have not been determined. This research was a secondary analysis of a 6-year longitudinal study of chronic illness and psychological well-being in older (mean age = 73 at Time 1), community-dwelling women (n = 103). Over time, women with UI reported significantly lower subjective health, purpose in life, affect balance, personal growth, positive relations with others, and self-esteem and higher scores for depression, compared to women without UI. Incontinence had broad effects on multiple domains of psychological well-being that persisted over time and need to be addressed by clinicians.