title: The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy in female nursing students with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is highly prevalent in young women under stressful conditions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been known to be effective in treating IBS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of CBT in female nursing students with IBS. The primary outcome measure of the study was the Bowel Symptom Severity Scale-IBS version.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety diagnosed participants were randomized to each group in a randomized pretest-post-test control group design. The experimental group received an 8-week CBT intervention, and the control group received general information on IBS. Bowel symptom severity, dysfunctional attitudes, and IBS-quality of life were assessed at baseline and after 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Six experimental and eight control participants withdrew during the study because of various reasons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant effects were found for bowel symptom severity (frequency: P<0.001; distress: P<0.001; disability: P<0.001) between the experimental (n=39) and the control (n=37) groups. The overall IBS-quality of life improved over time in the CBT group (P<0.001). The CBT also showed the alleviation of dysphoria (P=0.010), interference with activity (P=0.031), and health worry (P=0.009), and the improvement of body image (P=0.008) and relationships (P=0.041) compared with the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CBT proved to be an effective intervention for improving the clinical states of IBS in young female nursing students.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Nursing Science, College of Health Sciences, Youngsan University bCollege of Nursing cSchool of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ae Lee
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Sun-Kyung
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Dong Uk
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult