Behavior and bladder disturbance of enuretic children: a rational classification of a common disorder.

A group of 126 enuretic children were evaluated as to their psychiatric and neurological states, functional bladder volume and environmental circumstances. Few differences were found when the children were grouped according to presence or absence of social disadvantage, the presence of a family history of enuresis, or the nature of onset of enuresis. No classification differentially predicted response to treatment. However, children with an associated psychiatric disorder had significantly lower bladder volumes and had more developmental delays. It is concluded that the classifications of primary or secondary enuresis, or familial or non-familial, etc., are of little practical value. When psychiatric disorder is found, it is probably related to other constitutional abnormalities. Rather than there being two separate groups of enuretic children with behavior disorder and low functional bladder volume, these two abnormalities are found in conjunction.