Assessment by Women on Selected Aspects of Quality of Life and on Disease Acceptance after Undergoing Urogynecological Procedures for Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Urinary incontinence is a common social and health problem that affects both men and women. Women, however, are twice as likely as men to experience unintentional and involuntary bladder emptying due to their anatomical structure and biological functions. Urinary incontinence is associated with great discomfort, a sense of shame, and a significant reduction in self-esteem, often resulting in the limiting of, or withdrawing from, professional, social, and community life. The aim of this study was to evaluate selected aspects of the quality of life and disease acceptance by women who had undergone urogynecological procedures for urinary incontinence. The study encompassed 77 women. The diagnostic tools used in the study were the Polish versions of the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and the authors’ own survey questionnaire. From the undertaken research, we found that women with urinary incontinence who underwent urogynecological procedures rated their overall health well. What worsened the most regarding the quality of life of women post-procedure for urinary incontinence was the impact of bladder problems on their lives and the discomfort they felt due to bladder problems. The relationship between the time elapsed since the procedure and the quality of life of the respondents with regard to the emotions they experienced was also found to be significant. The longer the time since the procedure, the lower the intensity of negative emotions, and thus the higher the quality of life. Despite the varied opinions of the respondents about the impact of bladder dysfunction on various areas of their lives, acceptance of the disease, as measured by the AIS scale, appeared to be high.