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Paruresis (Shy Bladder Syndrome): A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Approach

2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 49; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00981381003684898

1541-034X

Steven Soifer, Joseph A. Himle, Kathleen Walsh,

Dermatology and Skin Diseases

Abstract Paruresis is a social anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being unable to urinate in the presence of others. This condition has not been covered in the social work literature, yet is a perfect example of a person-in-environment problem. This article explores the use of graduated exposure therapy during weekend-long workshops for the treatment of paruresis. One hundred one participants participated in workshops and were administered pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1-year follow-up treatment scales. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant improvement in shy bladder symptoms. Significant improvement in global severity of shy bladder was observed posttreatment and at the 1-year follow-up point. Findings suggest that graduated exposure therapy improves self-reported global severity of shy bladder symptoms and that these gains were maintained at 1-year follow up. KEYWORDS: shy bladderbashful bladderparuresissocial anxietypublic restroomsgraduated exposure therapy We express our immense appreciation to Cathy Costa, Research Assistant, for editing this article.