The treatment of nocturnal enuresis: a controlled comparison of two models of urine alarm.

This study examined the effectiveness of two models of urine alarm that are commercially available for the treatment of nocturnal enuresis. A total of 39 children who exhibited primary nocturnal enuresis was assigned to one of three experimental groups: behavioral conditioning with a contiguous model of alarm, behavioral treatment with a delayed model of alarm, or a clinical waiting list. Results for the 12-week program indicate that after the second week of treatment, the contiguous and delayed models of alarm produced comparable reductions in weekly wetting frequency that were significantly better than no treatment at all. Results indicated a significantly higher rate of apparatus malfunction for the delayed model of alarm. It is proposed that the contiguous alarm is the treatment of choice at the present time because of its significantly lower rate of malfunction.