Enuresis: the clinical application of an etiologically based classification system.

Enuresis is a common problem of childhood, but both a theoretical understanding and an etiologically based clinical approach to the symptom are lacking. The present descriptive study was undertaken to delineate subgroups within large, heterogeneous populations of enuretic children between the ages of four and 14. A number of variables were assessed through a detailed parental history for 116 enuretic children. Several relevant and significant correlations were identified, but overall no clinically useful patterns involving sleep stages, psychopathology, environmental events, or medical or family history were discovered. The results of this study confirm recent work in the field of enuresis and emphasize the need for new research directions.