title: An international study of irritable bowel syndrome: family relationships and mind-body attributions.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal illness, characterized by potentially debilitating symptoms without pathologic findings, often associated with psychological conditions. Little is known about the psychosocial aspects of this condition on an international scale. A total of 239 patients in eight countries were given a series of psychological and medical questionnaires, including IBS activity, relationships with significant others, beliefs regarding the etiology of symptoms, and assessment of quality of life. There were highly significant associations between IBS severity and all other measures. Symptoms were worse if relationship conflict was high and if attributions about illness were physiological rather than psychological. Symptoms were less severe if relationship depth and support were high, and illness was viewed as psychological. Implications for treatment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: New York University, NY, USA. mjg5@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Mary-Joan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gerson
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gerson
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dancey
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poitras
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Porcelli
authors.forename: Ami D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sperber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D011603:Psychophysiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires