Public Perceptions of Enuresis: Insights From Online Communities in South Korea and the United States.

Abstract

Purpose: To establish a foundation for raising awareness and disseminating accurate information about enuresis-one of the most challenging conditions to discuss openly-this paper examines public perceptions of enuresis.

Methods: This paper collected title and text data from posts related to enuresis on the top popular online platforms such Naver Cafe in South Korea and Reddit in the United States (US). The data along with the thematic subcommunities where the posts were uploaded, was analyzed and visualized using word cloud, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, and pyLDAvis.

Results: The findings reveal both similarities and differences in how the patients from the 2 countries addressed enuresis online. In both countries, enuresis symptoms were a daily concern, and individuals used online platforms as a space to talk about their experiences. However, South Koreans were more inclined to describe symptoms within region-based communities or mothers' forums, where they exchanged information and shared experiences before consulting a doctor. In contrast, US patients with medical experience or knowledge frequently discussed treatment processes, lifestyle adjustments, and medication options.

Conclusion: South Koreans tend to be cautious when selecting and visiting hospitals, often relying on others for advice and preparation before seeking medical attention. Compared to online communities in the US, Korean users are more likely to seek preliminary diagnoses based on nonprofessional opinions. Consequently, it is important to lower the barriers for patients to access professional medical advice to mitigate the potential harm of relying on nonprofessional opinions. Additionally, there is a need to raise awareness so that adults can recognize and address their symptoms in a timely manner.