Relationship between Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Worry and Stress in Adolescent Girls

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among adolescents and difference in worry and stress between normal and IBS groups. Questionnaire survey was conducted at a girl's middle and high school. Students from seventh to eleventh grade participated in the examination on Rome II criteria, lifestyle and dietary habits. Worry and stress were measured with the Korean version Penn State Worry Questionnaire-Children and the Korean version Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument. Worry score was significantly higher in the IBS group (22.07 ± 9.38, P < 0.001) than in the normal group (18.65 ± 8.99) and was higher in high school students than in middle school students (P = 0.02). Stress score also was higher in the IBS group than in the normal group (P < 0.001) and was higher in the high school girls than in the middle school ones (P = 0.04). Of all the lifestyle factors influencing IBS preference for fatty foods, preference for salty foods, drinking alcohol and sleeping for less than six hours a day were found to be significant. Worry and stress seem to be associated with IBS symptoms. The findings of this study draw a clue that less worry and stress will help decrease IBS symptoms.

A systematic review of the prevalence and risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome among medical students

“…Similar results were obtained among nursing students from Korea (22) and university students from Germany (25). Similarly, studies among the general populations also reported strong associations between female gender and IBS (21,23,(26)(27)(28)(29). Results from an Iranian systematic review showed that more than one-half of the reviewed researchers found that IBS was significantly associated with female gender (26).…”

Visceral and somatic hypersensitivity, autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction and low-grade inflammation in a subset of irritable bowel syndrome patients

“…IBS is common in Western countries, where the incidence is up to 20%. In recent years, the morbidity in Asian countries has been rising year by year, and has now nearly reached that of Western countries (Zhong and Hou, 2012;Song et al, 2012;Omagari et al, 2013). Without biological markers, the diagnosis of IBS depends mainly on the patient's symptoms.…”

Mental, Physical, Dietary, and Nutritional Effects on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Young Japanese Women

“…Psychiatric disorders include panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, mood disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (1,28). Although there is currently no convincing evidence that psychological factors play a role in the onset and/or progression of IBS (2,12), in cases of anxiety disorders, hyperactivity of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, may cause abdominal susceptibility or motility disorders in the gastrointestinal system (brain-gut interactions) (3,26,28). There are limitations worth noting in the present study.…”

“…Brain-gut disorders and psychiatric and social factors have also been recognized to be possible pathologic mechanisms of IBS. Psychiatric factors reported to worsen IBS include anxiety, somatization disorder and depression (3). Comprehensive studies on the associations between the mental, physical, dietary and/or nutritional status and IBS in young Japanese women, however, are few.…”

“…Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic, relapsing abdominal pain or discomfort, abdominal distension and changes in bowel habits without an organic cause (1)(2)(3). The prevalence of IBS is reported to be around 10-20% in the Table 1…”