Measuring the Psychosocial Impact of Urinary Incontinence: The York Incontinence Perceptions Scale (YIPS)

Abstract

The York Incontinence Perceptions Scale (YIPS) was developed to measure the psychosocial aspects of urinary incontinence and its management. Testing of internal consistency and validity of the YIPS. Subjects were 101 female rural community residents (mean age = 67.4 years) diagnosed with urinary incontinence and participating in a 25-week longitudinal randomized control study testing the efficacy of treating incontinence with a behavioral/educational intervention. Participants completed the YIPS, a bladder chart monitoring daily incontinence episodes, the Aids to Living Scale, the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, and single-item ratings of self-perceptions of amount of leakage, continence status, and overall health status. The YIPS had high internal consistency (a = .78). Positive adjustment on the YIPS was correlated with lower frequency of incontinence (r = -.44), and self-ratings of improvement in amount of leakage (r = .60), improved continence status (r = .38), and overall health status (r = .32). At the end of the 25-week treatment period, the participants in the treatment group reported a more positive adjustment on the YIPS than did participants in the control group (t[99] = 4.78, P < .001), which was concordant with a reduction in the incidence of incontinence in the treatment group (F[1,91] = 6.95, P < .01). The YIPS is a brief, yet reliable, instrument that addresses such psychosocial issues as coping, control, and acceptance of incontinence.