Investigation of social isolation and depression in female employees with urinary incontinence during the COVID-19 pandemic period

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) affects almost one-third of adult women. This is often taken as a section of the aging process and incurable In general, women perceive UI as more of a social issue and a taboo rather than a medical problem; they are reluctant to discuss the matter or seek assistance. OBJECTIVE: This research was conducted to investigate the level of social isolation and depression in female employees with UI during the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHODS: The study was done with 533 paticipant. The study data were done using the Nottingham Health Profile Social Isolation Scale (NHPSIS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: The total scores of the NHPSIS and BDI were found to be 18.55±3.3 (minimum = 5, maximum = 25) and 49.22±11.4 (minimum = 12, maximum = 60), respectively. In the Pearson correlation analysis, a strong, statistically significant, and positive correlation was discovered between NHPSIS and the average BDI total scores among women. CONCLUSION: The level of depression and social isolation were obtained to be high among UI women who had a mix UI, high frequencies of UI, belong to higher age groups, singles, and high body mass index. It was showed that the levels of depression and social isolation scores were showed to be high in women had UI.