engleski

The role of daily mood in the stress-symptom relationship in IBS patients

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder which results in significantly lower quality of life. It is regarded as a stress related disorder, with a possible wide variety of factors leading to symptom exacerbation. The aim of this study was to explore daily mood and daily stress in IBS patients, with regard to their symptom severity. Methods: A total of 49 patients (age M=45.11 ; SD=14.01 ; F=38) participated in the study. The participants kept a diary of their mood (positive affect - PA and negative affect - NA), symptom severity and daily stress for 2 weeks. Participants recorded their mood and symptom severity three times per day (in the morning, afternoon and evening) while daily stress was measured once a day, in the evening. Results: Average PA and NA levels showed typical daily changes. Analyses performed on the inter- individual level showed that PA measured in the afternoon (M=2.47 ; SD=0.54) was significantly higher (F(2, 94)=19.69 ; p<.001 ; η²=, 30) than PA measured in the morning (M=2.33 ; SD=0.52) and in the evening (M=2.23 ; SD=0.54) (an inverted U shape). NA showed relatively stable levels regardless of time of day. On the intra- individual level, cross- correlations of time series of PA, NA and symptom severity showed a lot of variation among participants, however in a large subgroup of participants (n=15) there were negative cross-correlations of PA and symptom severity (r=~.30) and a significant subgroup (n=19) showed positive cross-correlations of NA and symptom severity (r=~.30). Cross-correlations of symptom severity and daily stress also show large differences among participants, with some having high positive correlations, while others show no correlation at all. Additional analyses of group data showed that PA was positively correlated (r=.39**) with the symptom- stress cross-correlation. Participants with a more variable PA had a stronger association of symptom severity and daily stress. Conclusions: The main implication of these findings is that improving a patients’ PA, especially with regard to its stability, may decrease the effects of stress on symptom severity, and possibly lead to symptom alleviation.

irritable bowel syndrome ; daily mood ; stress ; symptom severity

nije evidentirano