Impact of knowledge, attitudes, symptoms, and self-management of urinary incontinence on the quality of life in middle-aged women: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to examine the effects of urinary incontinence (UI)–related knowledge, attitudes, symptoms, and self-management behaviors on the condition-specific quality of life among middle-aged women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 183 women aged 50–64 years experiencing UI symptoms. Participants completed validated instruments measuring UI-related knowledge, attitudes, symptom severity, self-management behaviors, and the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) scale. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with I-QOL. Model 1 included general health and UI-related characteristics, explaining 18.3% of the variance. Among these, higher perceived health status was significantly associated with lower I-QOL scores (β = − .28, p = .011). In Model 2, four main study variables—UI-related knowledge, attitudes, symptoms, and self-management behaviors—were added. Positive attitudes were associated with higher I-QOL scores (β = .19, p = .041), whereas greater symptom severity (β = − .22, p = .022) and more frequent self-management behaviors (β = − .19, p = .037) were negatively associated with I-QOL. Model 2 accounted for 29.6% of the variance. Multicollinearity and autocorrelation diagnostics indicated no violations of assumptions. UI symptoms and attitudes toward UI are key factors influencing the quality of life of middle-aged women. Interventions to manage symptoms and improve attitudes may be more effective than knowledge dissemination alone.