The Effect of Group Counseling on the Health Promotion of Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pender's model promotes healthy behaviours by changing one's lifestyle. There have been few studies on using this model to improve the health of women with stress urinary incontinence. This study aimed to determine the effect of group counseling based on the Pender’s model on the health promotion of women with stress urinary incontinence.

This randomized clinical trial comprised two groups, with a total of 70 women, who were selected through convenient sampling and then were randomly allocated into either the control or intervention group using permutation block randomization. The intervention group received a structured program of six group counseling sessions based on Pender's model. Data collection instruments included demographic characteristics questionnaire; the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and a researcher-developed questionnaire aligned with the constructs of Pender's model. Both groups completed the questionnaires before, immediately following the intervention, and again two months later. Data analyzed by independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and repeated measure regression using SPSS version 25.

  Prior to the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the average total scores of the health promotion between the two groups (P=0.561). However, following the intervention and at the two-month follow-up, the intervention group exhibited a significant increase in their total scores on the health promotion compared to the control group (P<0.001).

Group counseling based on the Pender’s model is an effective counselling approach enhancing the health promotion of women suffering from stress urinary incontinence. Therefore, its utilization is recommended in the clinical settings.