Response Prevention and Contingency Management in the Treatment of Nocturnal Enuresis

Abstract

Two nocturnal enuresis case-studies are described (continuous and intermittent respectively). The subjects are 9 and 14 years old males respectively. Treatment was implemented after two weeks of baseline. The treatment components were adjusted to the characteristics of the enuretic pattern of each boy and to the motivation of both parents and children to enhance adherence. Natural differential consequences and a response prevention technique was used. This involved a discrimination procedure with minimal errors to shape longer nocturnal bladder retention periods using an alarm clock. In the first case, retention training was added and, in the second case, consequences additional to the natural ones were involved. Results (with follow-up periods of 28 and 12 weeks for each subject) are presented and the different strategies discussed.