Toilet training and influencing factors that affect initiation and duration of training: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: Aim of this study was to determine the pattern of toilet training (TT) in Jordan, the factors that are related to the initiation age, duration and the methods of training used among different sociocultural groups. Methods: Mothers of 1257 children attending pediatric clinics at Jordan University Hospital were directly interviewed. Results: Mean initiation and completion ages were 22.5 ± 6.50 and 26.48 ± 9.37 months respectively. Families living in urban settlement, first child in family, child-oriented approach, working mothers and mothers with higher level of education started training later. The duration of toilet training was 5.80 ± 8.06 weeks and it was shorter in families who used the child-oriented approach. Intensive method was used in 59.4%, child-oriented in 40.6%. Young mothers used more frequently the intensive method. Constipation and stool toilet refusal developed in 15.4% and 15.1% respectively and there was a significant association between constipation and older age of starting toilet training. Conclusions: Intensive method of training is more popular in our country and the initiation and completion age are earlier than in other countries. The age of initiation may be increased as parents are better educated and a child-oriented approach becomes more popular than the intensive approach.