The role of psychological factors in the development and maintenance of encopresis is controversial.

Assessment of the psychosocial profile of encopretic children and their caregivers in relation to parenting style compared to controls.

The current cross sectional study comprised 90 Egyptian children classified into three groups: group I (encopresis without constipation and overflow incontinence), group II (encopresis with constipation and overflow incontinence), and group III (clinically healthy controls); each group included 30 children. Thorough clinical evaluation and psychometric assessment were carried out for all enrolled children while caregivers were evaluated for their parenting styles, anxiety, depression, and introversion scores.

Hardness, undue blaming, and indecisive parenting styles were significantly more prevalent among caregivers of group I. Encopretic children of group I & II had poorer self-esteem and higher prevalence of clinically manifest depression compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, there was a higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety, depression, and introversion and maternal depression among caregivers of group II and higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety and depression among fathers of group I.

The approach of toilet training, not the time of its initiation, seems to be the factor that really matters in predisposing to and perpetuating encopresis. Further exploration is needed to determine if the documented association of psychological disorders of enrolled encopretic children and their caregivers was causal or being just the impact of the child's encopresis.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.