| Abstract |
This study investigated the patterning of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and coping strategies in symptomatic and asymptomatic women. A three-group repeated measures design was used to contrast the patterns of GI symptoms, GI function, psychological and somatic distress, and exposures to stress across three phases of the menstrual cycle among three sets of women: those with medically diagnosed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), women with recurrent abdominal symptoms but not medically diagnosed IBS, and control women (no GI symptoms). A total of 43 women (42 self-referred and 1 referred by a GI clinic nurse) were enrolled. Seventeen women were in the diagnosed IBS group, 13 in the ISBL group, and 13 in the control group. Significant differences were found between both symptomatic groups (IBS, IBSL) and the control group in somatization and obsessive-compulsive measures. The IBS group had a significantly higher mean score than controls in interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobic anxiety. The IBS group scored significantly higher than the control group in hassles intensity (average severity). An understanding of factors related to IBS will help us to speculate on treatments to compensate for or interfere with the contributing factors. |
