Anxiety, Depression and Quality of Life of Married Women with Urinary Incontinence Living in the Community

지역사회 거주 기혼 여성의 요실금 중증도에 따른 불안, 우울 및 삶의 질

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare anxiety, depression and quality of life according to the severity of urinary incontinence in married women. Method: The participants were 168 married women aged 30-65 years who experienced urinary incontinence. The data were collected from May to July, 2006 using a structured questionnaire. Frequencies, percent, means and standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, $X^2-test$ and Scheffe test with SPSS win 14.0 program were used to analyze the data. Results: The distribution of urinary incontinence severity was mild 87.5%, or moderate 12.5%. Significant differences in the severity of urinary incontinence were found for the general characteristics of age, education level, having a job and having a spouse and for the obstetric characteristics of type of delivery, and menopause. Differences in the score for anxiety(t=-2.41, p=0.001) and quality of life(t=5.50, p<0.001) according to the severity of urinary incontinence were statistically significant. Conclusion: Women with moderate to severe urinary incontinence should be screened for psychosocial factors. Severity of urinary incontinence in married women negatively affects their quality of life. Further research is needed to determine factors predicting the quality of life for incontinent women.