The infantile nocturnal enuresis It is a problem that usually occurs frequently and is more common than it seems, it is the repeated emission of urine during the night. The child tends to pee on the clothes or on the bed involuntarily on some days or throughout the week. What happens is that the child may be having difficulty recognizing when his bladder is full and cannot perceive that need to go pee, even when he is awake. It must be taken into account that there is another problem when urinary incontinence occurs during the day, which is called diurnal enuresis and, therefore, it must be differentiated.
In this Psychology-Online article, about Infantile nocturnal enuresis: causes and treatment, we are going to let you know in more detail about this condition and discover the most appropriate treatment to remedy it.
There is no specific age when children achieve complete bladder control. It is considered normal that a child under 5 years old is not yet fully trained to go to the bathroom, however, from the age of 5 onwards it is already considered a problem. The
- You are over 5 years old and you keep wetting the bed repeatedly, either 2 or more times a week or all week.
- Many children with nocturnal enuresis sleep soundly.
- The child may have some concern about wetting the bed, which reduces his desire to go to sleep.
There are several factors that can influence this type of disorder in children. Among the most common are the following:
- Physiological factors: sleep disturbances, having a bladder with weak or small muscles. There may also be some delay in the maturation of the central nervous system, there may be a deficit in the production of antidiuretic hormone or abnormalities in the spinal cord.
- Hereditary factors: It has been shown that children of parents who have had the same disorder are more likely to have it as well.
- Psychological factors: being constantly going through stressful situations for the child, such as the divorce of their parents, a family environment tense and problematic, change of school, birth of a new brother, death of a loved one, living in a disadvantaged environment, between others. It has also been found that the child's personality influences him to be more prone to developing this type of problem, For example, children who are highly dependent, fearful, passive, shy, and have very controlling or controlling parents. overprotective.
Children with this condition suffer emotional consequences that limit their personal development and impair their well-being. Some of the main psychological consequencess that brings this type of disorder to children who suffer from it are the following:
- Appear self esteem issues in the child due to the impotence they feel of not being able to control it. On many occasions, adults can ridicule them by speaking in a mocking tone about the subject or punish them every time they wet the bed, which causes their self-esteem to still decline more.
- Symptoms of depression and / or anxiety in the child.
- This problem can influence the child to start presenting learning difficulties and problems with poor concentration.
- Fear of activities outside the home, such as going camping with friends, sleeping at a friend's house, etc.
- Feelings of culpability caused by their awareness of the situation and the knowledge that they cannot control it.
In most cases, this problem disappears in second childhood. However, to achieve the elimination of this problem, it is necessary that parents take certain measures to help children overcome it.
Tips for treating infantile nocturnal enuresis
- It is necessary that parents avoid punishments and jokes about this issue so delicate for the child, since failure to do so leads to emotional discomfort of the child is increasing more and more, which also influences so that the trouble.
- Establish the exact cause that causes this problem, since it can vary in each child. Once the specific cause is established, steps can be taken to eradicate it. It is not the same to treat a physiological cause than a psychological one, for example.
- Prevent the child from drinking fluids before bedtime, which would increase the risk of bed wetting. It is recommended that fluid intake be done for the last time at least 1 hour before the child goes to bed.
- Teach the child to go to the bathroom before going to bed still not wanting to pee.
- Take the child to the bathroom at night every 2 to 3 hours.
- Educate the child to change pajamas, change sheets, and / or go to the bathroom when he wet the bed in case he still wants to pee.
- Schedule alarms the child to get up to the bathroom at certain times during the night. There are also alarm devices that are activated when the bed is wet.
- During the day, the child can be taught to practice bladder workouts where it holds urine for longer periods of time.
See a professional
It must be remembered that in the event that despite taking the necessary measures to eradicate this problem, it continues in increase and the child has begun to have psychological problems such as symptoms of depression or anxiety, among others, is necessary go to a professional to assess the individual situation of the child and accordingly establish the most appropriate treatment for him. In some occasions, although they are minimal, in approximately 1% of cases, it is necessary that you be administered some drugs to help you overcome this problem.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
