The comparison of loneliness, anger levels and lower urinary tract symptoms of women with urinary incontinence

Abstract The aim of my study is to examine the relationships between loneliness, anger control, and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence. In this context, the study seeks to better understand the effects of UI on women’s psychological and physiological conditions, contributing to the development of appropriate intervention and treatment approaches. The study is a descriptive correlation study. The study sample consisted of a total of 116 women diagnosed with UI calculated with the G*Power programme. Data were collected with Personal Data Form, UCLA Loneliness Scale, The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-STAXI and Bristol Low Urinary Tract Symptoms-BFLUTS Scales. Statistical evaluation was applied with SPSS 27.0 programme. A statistical significance level of p <.05 was considered. The mean age of the women was 53.39 ± 12.15 years. Among the women with UI who participated in the study, 59.4% had moderate loneliness and 19% had high loneliness. As a result of the comparison of the UCLA and the STAXI scores, when loneliness increases in women with UI, anger increases internally and anger control decreases. When storage symptoms increase according to lower urinary tract symptoms in women with UI, loneliness increases in parallel. Women with urinary incontinence have a high level of isolation, leading to internal anger and decreased anger control. In the management of UI, the woman’s quality of life, social isolation status, psychological problems should be evaluated, and appropriate care should be provided. The novelty of this study lies in its significant contribution to the existing literature by examining the relationships between loneliness, anger control, and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence.