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Comparing Approaches to Treat Older Adult Women's Urge Incontinence: Pilot Feasibility and Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction With the Health Enhancement Program in the Treatment of Urinary Urge Incontinence in Older Adult Women: A Pilot Feasibility and Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03176901
Acronym
SHUW
Enrollment
25
Registered
2017-06-06
Start date
2017-02-03
Completion date
2018-04-12
Last updated
2019-02-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Urinary Incontinence in Old Age, Urinary Incontinence, Urge

Keywords

urinary urge incontinence, urinary incontinence, older adult women, older adults, mindfulness-based stress reduction, health enhancement program, feasibility, randomized controlled trial, complementary, integrative, therapies

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based stress reduction with the health enhancement program on symptoms of urinary urge incontinence in older adult women, and to establish preliminary efficacy of these two approaches on symptoms of urinary urge incontinence.

Detailed description

The overarching goal of this research is to evaluate potential treatment options for older women with symptoms of urinary urge incontinence, with a specific focus on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a promising therapeutic approach in preliminary studies and one increasingly used to treat symptoms associated with brain-visceral interactions. Feasibility and preliminary efficacy will be tested in two randomized study arms: a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention group and a Health Enhancement Program intervention comparison group. This research study will explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of treating urinary urge incontinence in older adult women with mindfulness-based stress reduction in comparison to the health enhancement program through a randomized controlled pilot study. Feasibility determinants will include both research feasibility (recruitment, retention, treatment fidelity) and intervention feasibility (acceptability, tolerability, treatment adherence). Clinical outcomes to evaluate preliminary intervention efficacy will include severity of urinary urge incontinence symptoms, bother of urinary urge incontinence symptoms, perceived stress, and perceived level of self-efficacy of self-management of urinary urge incontinence symptoms. Preliminary efficacy of the intervention will also be evaluated with the Patient Global Impression of Improvement, a process measure that rates the patient's response of a condition to a therapy (Ryan, n.d., p. 1). This combined pilot feasibility study and randomized controlled trial will evaluate specific factors crucial to the success of a large trial to evaluate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on urinary urge incontinence in older adult women. Moore (2011) recommended that the pilot study design parallel the future larger study, particularly when evaluating feasibility in the pilot study. The capacity for hypothesis testing, or establishing causal inference is limited in a pilot study due to insufficient power; however, the information from efficacy testing is vital in informing future larger scale clinical trials. This study will serve as a necessary step for the development of effectiveness trials of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in treatment of urinary urge incontinence in older adult women by informing and guiding evaluation, implementation, and dissemination.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

This experimental arm presents the actual Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program as developed in the late seventies and early eighties in its original eight week format

This active comparison arm presents the official Health Enhancement Program in its eight week format as developed by MacCoon in 2009.

Sponsors

University of Utah
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

This is a blinded, randomized controlled trial. Participants are blinded to condition.

Intervention model description

Two armed study with intervention and comparison groups running parallel to one another

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
55 Years to 105 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

The following eligibility criteria must be met for the potential participant to be considered for enrollment. * The study is enrolling older adult women, with urinary urge incontinence. * They cannot be currently treating their urinary urge incontinence with medication as this will confound results. * Women who have attempted more extreme treatments and are still experiencing urinary urge incontinence will not be considered as potential participants, as it is unlikely that mindfulness-based stress reduction would treat urinary urge incontinence that is refractory to that degree. * Participants must be English speaking, as the interventions and homework will be delivered in English. * postmenopausal women * Urge predominant urinary incontinence, defined as score of ≥ 3 (moderate to severe urinary incontinence) on the Incontinence Severity Index * Urge predominant urinary incontinence as determined by question 3 on the 3 Incontinence Questions. The 3 Incontinence Questions has been shown to be a quick and accurate way of diagnosing stress, urge or mixed incontinence in most cases * Has experienced urinary urge incontinence symptoms for at least three months * Committed to attend 8 weekly sessions and one half day retreat between weeks 6 and 7 * No pharmacologic therapy for urinary urge incontinence within three weeks of enrollment and no plan to initiate such medications during the 8 week active treatment * If on hormone therapy or vaginal estrogen, plan to remain on it for the duration of the study; if not on it, no plan to initiate * No previous intradetrusor Botox injection for urinary urge incontinence and no plan to receive it during the intervention * No previous neurostimulation for urinary urge incontinence and no plan to receive it during the intervention English speaking * A score of \>24 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Exclusion criteria

The following exclusions are applied, as they could seriously limit participation or confound participant response to the intervention: * Predominantly stress, mixed, or other type of incontinence as determined by question 3 on the 3 Incontinence Questions * Currently taking medications for Alzheimer's disease or other dementias; these medications could interfere with their participation * Known neurologic disease acknowledged to impact bladder function including Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, or stroke affecting urinary control; these diseases provide cause for urinary urge incontinence and as such the participant would be unlikely to benefit from the intervention * Current symptomatic urinary tract infection that has not resolved prior to the start of intervention * Current bladder infection that has not resolved prior to the start of intervention * Use of an assistive device for ambulation (such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair) and feels that difficulties with bladder management are related to the slowed time in visiting the restroom (Was urinary urge incontinence a problem before you began using the assistive device?) * Functionally incontinent, in other words, having a mental or physical condition that prevents a person from visiting the restroom in time * Ever diagnosed with interstitial cystitis * Self-report of vaginal bulge protruding outside of the vagina * Past participation in a formal program of mindfulness-based stress reduction * Substantial, uncorrected hearing loss * Substantial, uncorrected vision loss * Limitations that preclude completing study questionnaires or surveys, such as difficulties with reading and writing or a cognitive impairment

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
- number of minutes of homework practice each week8 weekstotaled from daily numbers reported by participant
positive or negative coded responses to the question How did it go today?8 weeksdata coded from two participants' responses after each class in each arm
number of participants who completed each week's homework practice8 weeksparticipants mark on homework practice log and submit weekly
number of participants recruited for enrollment10 weekspotential participants who were interested in the study
number of potential participants who are eligible to enroll10 weeksnumber of people who passed the screening process via calls or emails
number of dropouts due to stated distress from or dislike of either intervention experience (as opposed to someone needing to withdraw due to a family emergency or illness)8 weeksparticipant self-report of what made the intervention challenging - why they were unable or unwilling to complete the course
consent rate10 weeksnumber of participants who are willing to sign consent document at enrollment interview; number who pass the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and are willing to sign consent document
number of participants enrolled10 weeksnumber of people who enrolled into the study
Number of potential participants contacted10 weeksnumber of people who contacted PI during recruitment process, including the place they heard about the study
number of enrolled participants completing the study12 weeksnumber of participants who attended at least five of nine classes number of excused absences number of unexcused absences
percentage of course content delivered during intervention44 weeksweekly interventionist report on what was taught participants perception of course content delivered measured by a checklist of concepts covered in the weekly interventions at study completion

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
change in symptom bother16 weeks, 6 monthsmeasured by the Overactive Bladder questionnaire, short form
change in perceived stress16 weeks, 6 monthsmeasured by the Perceived Stress Scale
change in perceived self-efficacy16 weeks, 6 monthsmeasured by the Geriatric Self Efficacy Index for Urinary Incontinence
self report of rate and trajectory of change in participant impression of improvement16 weeks, 6 monthsmeasured by the Patient Global Impression of Improvement
change in symptom severity16 weeks, 6 monthsmeasured by the Incontinence Severity Index

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026