The mediating effect of ‘bothersome’ urinary incontinence on help‐seeking intentions among community‐dwelling women

Abstract Aim To explore the mediating effect of bother of urinary incontinence between urinary incontinence severity and help‐seeking intentions and detect whether the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐ UI Short Form could be a valid measure to delineate bothersome urinary incontinence. Background Urinary incontinence is a common condition among women, which has a profound adverse effect on quality of life. However, many of them experiencing significant clinical symptoms do not seek medical help. Design A cross‐sectional survey design. Methods Women with urinary incontinence ( N = 620) from three randomized selected community health service centres from May–October 2011 participated in the study. Data were collected using a pencil‐and‐paper questionnaire. Multivariate regression models were used to test the role of bother as a mediator in the relation between urinary incontinence severity and help‐seeking intentions. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to find the best cut‐off International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐ UI Short Form score (range: 0–21) to delineate the bother of urinary incontinence. Results Bothersome urinary incontinence mediated the relationship between urinary incontinence severity and help‐seeking intentions. Age and duration of urine leakage had a negative association on help‐seeking intentions, while educational level and previous help‐seeking behaviours had a positive association. Conclusions Bother was a mediator in the relation between urinary incontinence severity and help‐seeking intentions. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐ UI Short Form was a discriminative measure to delineate the bothersome urinary incontinence.