Effect of Self-Regulation and Social Support Intervention on the Life Quality in Patients with Post-Stroke Urinary Incontinence

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effect of self-regulation and social support on post-stroke patients experiencing urinary incontinence. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Kota Kendari, Indonesia. Through consecutive sampling, 53 participants were selected: 26 in the experimental groups and 27 in the control group, studied over a period of four weeks. The self-regulation intervention included education about properly following recommended exercises to overcome urinary incontinence, focusing on goals, being optimistic, and having emotional control. The social support intervention included the provision of family and peer support during patient care. Differences in participants' quality of life was measured at three different stages during the study, using the Incontinence Quality of Life instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: There was homogeneity of variance in both groups. Significant differences in quality of life were seen in the second and third measurements (p<.001). The interventions improved patients' quality of life by 6.43 times at 4 weeks, and 13 times at 8 weeks. Conclusion: Self-regulation and social support played an important role in improving the quality of life of post-stroke urinary incontinence patients. Further studies with longer intervention periods are required to validate our results and contribute to better patient experiences.