title: Bowel patterns and anxiety. Demographic factors.
abstract: In a survey of bowel patterns and anxiety on 1264 health maintenance organization (HMO) members undergoing health assessment, I found (a) Stool frequency increased with age (p = 0.001), was greater in men than women (p < 0.00001), and was greater in whites than blacks (p = 0.07); (b) Fecal incontinence increased with age in women (p < 0.001) but was not age-related in men (p > 0.10); (c) Laxative use was greater in women than men at all ages (p < 0.01), and there was an age effect on use in women (p < 0.025) but not in men (p > 0.20); (d) Bowel pattern change and abdominal pain were frequently caused by stress, and both effects declined with age in each gender (p < 0.05); (e) More women than men at all ages reported stress effects (p < 0.001), and subjects who reported either stress effect scored higher on both parts of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (p < 0.00001) than other people. Bowel patterns and their relation to anxiety have demographic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Longstreth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002400:Cathartics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology*; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics