Hi Tina, while anxiety certainly comes into play with secondary bedwetting this is unlikely to be the cause of her nighttime wetting. Bedwetting has a strong genetic component so it is not at all surprising that other family members also wet the bed at night. When genetics comes into play we often find children stop wetting around a similar age to their relative. In saying this it is always wise to have children checked by their GP just to rule out any possible underlying medical cause. Given her level of anxiety about starting school and your family history of depression I would recommend that you speak with a clinical child psychologist about strategies you can employ to help alleviate her anxiety. It is quite common for children to experience a certain level of stress about starting school, however when this starts to interfere with how they function on a daily basis we need to start thinking about ways to help children to cope. There are some wonderful programs available that are specifically targeted toward children who suffer from anxiety which are designed to empower and strengthen children’s sense of self and overall confidence particularly in novel situations, which can be particularly challenging. All the best!

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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