Table 1 Overall emotional impact of uUTIs in China and Japan
Impact on relationships | ||
• Anxiety/dread • Embarrassment • Loneliness and isolation | When experiencing uUTIs, there is a lot of associated dread and nervousness: • How bad will the symptoms be? • Will others notice high frequency of bathroom visits? • Will there be a bathroom at that location or on the long drive? • Due to stigma, feel they can’t talk about it with friends (or often partners), keep it as a secret • Don’t want to go out or be sociable as worry about needing bathroom | ‘My bad mood also impacts my family members. They are worried about me and have to do chores which I did previously as I’m too depressed to do anything, so my family members are under pressure. Then, my work is also affected. Frequent urination caused by uUTI and also by the large consumption of water during my treatment lowers my work efficiency’ CN25 (Recurrent) ‘When I’m going to another location or going out with someone, I cannot go to a toilet when I want to go there. This is very worrying. I can only think about the toilet. When I am working, I cannot concentrate. I get nervous about other people looking at me’ JP18 (Sporadic) |
Impact on work and daily activities | ||
• Incompetence • Guilt/personal blame | • Struggle to complete tasks and work to the usual standard, leading to frustration, anxiety • Less patience with family, e.g. helping children with homework • Disappoint partner sexually, not interested in being intimate whilst in pain/discomfort Many also feel personal responsibility for causing a uUTI, questioning what lifestyle choices impacted this (sometimes contributing to embarrassment) • Is it because I sit down at work all day, drink too much coffee? • Is it because I’m unhygienic? | ‘I could not focus on my work. I was worried. My efficiency was quite low’ CN01 (Recurrent) ‘I have to rush to the toilet frequently because otherwise I would leak my urine and it makes me feel down. During my work in the sales division, I could not stay long enough for the business discussion’ JP07 (Sporadic) |
Impact on sleep | ||
• Exhaustion | • Due to lack of sleep, from the agonising pain/discomfort of the uUTI • Significantly reduces participants’ moods and contributes to other emotional impacts, making them more irritable and lacking enthusiasm | ‘My first struggle was sleep. When I had this disease, every evening I had to wake up too often and could not sleep the whole night. As a result, I was in a very bad mental status’ CN09 (Sporadic & Treatment Failure) ‘I was so worried, and I could not sleep in the night’ JP12 (Recurrent & Treatment Failure) |