The Role of Worry and Related Psychological Constructs in Predicting IBS Symptoms in Clinical Population

摘要

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent functional somatic syndrome, characterized by persistent abdominal pain, disrupted bowel habits and abdominal distension unexplained by organic pathology. IBS tends to become chronic and it is associated with high levels of distress and a decreased quality of life. Also, there is a high comorbidity between IBS and emotional disorders, especially in the anxiety spectrum. Worry and related psychological factors (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, general distress) have been consistently associated with IBS symptoms in the general population; however, no study has examined such relations using prospective designs, especially in clinical populations. The objective of the current study refers to investigating the specific relations between worry, related psychological constructs (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, general distress) and IBS symptoms in clinical population (N = 38), using a prospective research design. The results show a consistent pattern of inter-relations among psychological factors and IBS symptomatology.