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Évelyne Touchette, BSc; Dominique Petit, PhD; Jean Paquet, PhD; Richard E. Tremblay, PhD; Michel Boivin, PhD; Jacques Y. Montplaisir, MD, PhD, CRCPc

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:1129-1134.

Objective  To evaluate the relationship between bed-wetting and various developmental milestones in a large and representative sample of young children.

Design  A randomized 3-level stratified survey design.

Setting  Data were collected by questionnaires, and interviews were scheduled at home with the mother.

Participants  A representative sample of children born from 1997 to 1998 in Quebec. A complete set of data on bed-wetting was obtained for 1666 children at the ages of 29, 41, and 53 months.

Main Outcome Measures  Percentage of children who bed-wet and developmental factors associated with bed-wetting.

Results  Approximately 10% of the children were bed-wetting at the age of 53 months. Bed-wetting cessation occurred for most children studied between the ages of 29 and 41 months. Motor skills were achieved by fewer boys who bed-wet compared with boys who did not (had sat up without support for 10 minutes at 5 months, P = .05; and had started crawling at 5 months, P<.01). More girls who bed-wet were prematurely born and had hyperactivity and inattention (P<.01 for all) compared with those who did not. Language milestones were achieved by fewer children who bed-wet compared with those who did not (boys: P = .04; girls: P = .02). No between-group difference was found for physical growth and sleep variables.

Conclusions  These findings show an association between bed-wetting and developmental milestones in early childhood. This study supports that bed-wetting could be indicative of a possible delay in the development of the central nervous system and could act as a noticeable indicator for parents and pediatricians.

Author Affiliations: Centre d’étude du sommeil et des rythmes biologiques, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec (Ms Touchette and Drs Petit, Paquet, and Montplaisir); Departments of Psychology (Ms Touchette) and Psychiatry (Dr Montplaisir) and Groupe de Recherche en Inadaptation Psychosociale chez l’Enfant (Drs Tremblay and Boivin), Université de Montréal, Montreal; and Department of Psychology, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec (Dr Boivin).

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