AAP News Vol. 14 No. 9 September 1998, p. 2
© 1998 American Academy of Pediatrics
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PNE not tied to behavioral problems

Carla Kemp

[unknown] Friman PC, et al. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 1998;152:537-9.

Most children who wet their beds do not have behavioral problems and can be managed by pediatricians without a psychiatric consult, according to Nebraska researchers.

Some studies have concluded primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is a symptom of an underlying psychopathological problem that requires specialized mental health treatment. Other research, however, suggests PNE is a biobehavioral problem requiring medical and/or behavior treatment only for the wetting itself.

Researchers set out to determine if PNE is accompanied by significant behavioral comorbidity. They studied three groups of children ages 5 to 13 years in the Midwest: those with PNE, those without PNE who were referred to a pediatric behavioral clinic and children referred to an outpatient pediatric clinic for nonbehavioral problems or well-child care (nonclinical sample). Each group included 92 subjects.

A standardized parent-report scale (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory) was used to determine the number and intensity of 36 common childhood problem behaviors in each group.