Compliance in children with constipation with and without encopresis: does following the rules improve the child's stools?

Abstract

Constipation is not an unusual problem for children. Painful defecation, the most frequently reported cause of constipation, leads to repeated withholding resulting in severe constipation and fecal soiling. Compliance is important for the success of treatment and the addition of behavioral interventions engaging positive reinforcement to medical treatment has shown increased rates of treatment compliance (Graves, Roberts, Rapoff, & Boyer, 2010). The purpose of this retrospective study was to broaden the literature and evaluate the relationship between compliance and clinical outcomes with the inclusion of a behavioral intervention. Patients seen in the Chronic Constipation Clinic at Johns Hopkins Children's Center completed the Pediatric Multidisciplinary Chronic Constipation Questionnaire during each clinic visit to assess compliance and clinical outcomes. Compliance, with medical and behavioral interventions, was found significantly related to the clinical outcomes selected for this study by way of a canonical correlation.