Perceived Stress and the Contributing Factors in the Elderly with Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a common physical issue in the elderly, which influences their quality of life and causes stress and psychological tension. High stress levels may play a pivotal role in the use of coping, self-care, self-efficacy skills in the daily life of patients. The present study aimed to assess perceived stress and the contributing factors in the elderly with urinary incontinence in 2017.

This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 125 individuals aged 60-74 years with urinary incontinence referring to Hashemi Nejad Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The participants were selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using the abbreviated mental test (AMT), a demographic questionnaire, and Cohen’s perceived stress scale with acceptable validity and reliability. Data collection was performed during three months via face-to-face interviews (15-20 minutes). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using Pearson's correlation-coefficient, linear regression, and Scheffe test at the significance level of P<0.05.

The mean age of the subjects was 63.92 ± 2.66 years, and the sample population consisted of 53.6% women and 46.4% men. Nearly half of the subjects (43.2%) had high levels of perceived stress. In addition, significant correlations were observed between perceived stress and age, education level, marital and economic status, and duration of urinary incontinence (P<0.05).

Considering that urinary continence affects the daily life of the elderly, planning for the development of community-based nursing interventions, performing educational/counseling strategies for the control and management of stress, and provision of family and social support are recommended in order to enhance the functional capacity of the elderly with urinary incontinence.