An investigation of postgraduate theses on urinary incontinence in the field of nursing in the last 10 years in Turkey

Introduction and Aim: Urinary incontinence is a common and important public health problem defined as involuntary urine leakage, which is a common condition in society and negatively affects individuals in every way. This study was conducted to examine the postgraduate theses on urinary incontinence in the last 10 years in the field of nursing in Turkey. Method: From the theses (n=234) examined using the keyword “urinary incontinence” in the Turkish National Thesis Search Center database, all master’s and doctoral theses (n=31) conducted in the Department of Nursing were included in the scope of the study, with a date range of 2014-2024. In the analysis of the data, whether the theses were master’s or doctoral theses, the publication year of the theses, their purpose, design, sample group, sample number and results were summarized. Results: 84% of the theses were master’s theses. When the studies were examined; 74% of the theses written were descriptive-cross-sectional, 23% experimental and 3% descriptive phenomenology methods. In the last 10 years, the most theses on urinary incontinence in the field of nursing in Turkey were conducted in 2022 (n=9). The sample group of almost all of the studies consists of women. In the studies, different periods of women's lives such as adolescence, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, postmenopause and geriatric were examined in terms of incontinence. Conclusion: When the theses studies were examined, it was concluded that urinary incontinence negatively affects various parameters such as quality of life, body image and sexuality in many stages of women's lives. In randomized controlled studies, it was seen that the training provided was beneficial. It is observed that theses on urinary incontinence in Turkey have decreased in recent years. It is recommended that nurses conduct more experimental research in this field, especially at the doctoral level.