A personal care absorbent article includes a generally liquid permeable cover sheet, a generally liquid impermeable baffle, and an absorbent material disposed between the cover sheet and the baffle. A water soluble flexible absorbent binder composition is applied between the cover sheet and the baffle and functions as a primary absorbent material and to adhere the cover sheet to the baffle. The absorbent binder composition includes a crosslinked absorbent polymer and a polymer dispersion added in an amount so as to maintain structural integrity of the article for a time period of at least about two hours after the article is immersed in water by being flushed.