Psychological factors in patients with peptic ulcerand functional dyspepsia.
BACKGROUND
The role of psychological factors in peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and functional dyspepsia (FD) has not been clearly determined. In this study the role of conflict management styles, psychiatric symptoms, and alexithymia were assessed in patients with PUD and FD and in the healthy individuals.


METHODS
Ninety subjects [30 PUD (15 women, 15 men), 30 FD (15 women, 15 men), and 30 healthy individuals (15 women, 15 men)] in two endoscopy wards of Babol University of Medical Sciences were evaluated. Three groups were matched with regard to demographic variables. Conflict management styles, psychiatric symptoms, and alexithymia were evaluated by appropriate questionnaires.


RESULTS
The patients with PUD reported less mean scores on psychiatric symptoms than the FD patients (depression 12.6±7.5 vs 28±9.5, anxiety 8.2±5.9 vs 18.7±6. obsessive-compulsive disorder 15.7±7.5 vs 21.8±8.4, interpersonal sensitivity 9.5±7.4 vs 16±7, psychoticism 8.03±4.5 vs 14.3±6.3, somatization 12.5±10.8 vs 20.7±8.1, and the total score of psychiatric symptoms 94.4±49.9 vs 160.1±46.6). The mean scores use of unconstructive conflict management styles in PUD patients were lower than FD (dominating 17.7±3.5 vs 20.2±2.7, avoiding 17.5±3 vs 23.8±4.4). Alexithymia symptoms were higher in FD patients than PUD individuals (difficulty in identifying feelings 23.5±6.3 vs 27.8±3.9, difficulty in describing feeling 16.5±4.4 vs 17.3±3.6). The PUD and FD patients had higher scores regarding these variables than the healthy subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
The results show that both PUD and FD patients experienced more psychiatric symptoms, unconstructive conflict management styles, and alexithymia than the healthy subjects. FD patients had worse psychiatric problems than PUD.
Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Mahbobeh
M
Faramarzi
Department of Psychiatry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital, Babol, Iran.
Farzan
F
Kheirkhah
Department of Gastroenterology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital, Babol, Iran.
Javad
J
Shokri-Shirvani
Department of Psychiatry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital, Babol, Iran.
Shokofeh
S
Mosavi
Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Soroush
S
Zarini
Alexithymia.; Conflict management; Functional dyspepsia; Peptic ulcer disease; Psychiatric symptoms