title: Beliefs about emotions mediate the relationship between emotional suppression and quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cross-sectional and experimental research has demonstrated an association between emotional suppression and IBS. However, the relationship is not well understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationships between emotional suppression, we compare the measures of beliefs about emotions and quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online questionnaires measured beliefs about emotions, emotional suppression and IBS-related quality of life in participants with (n = 87) and without (n = 37) IBS. Mediation analyses and group comparisons were used to explore the role of emotional suppression and beliefs about emotions in this sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IBS participants held significantly more beliefs about the unacceptability of emotions compared to healthy controls despite no differences in emotional suppression. The relationship between beliefs about emotions and quality of life was not mediated by emotional suppression. However, the relationship between emotional suppression and quality of life was mediated by beliefs about emotions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest a role of beliefs about emotions and emotional suppression in IBS, where emotional suppression may relate to changes in beliefs about emotions and consequently quality of life. This is discussed in relation to the cognitive-behavioural model of medically unexplained symptoms.
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department and.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bowers
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Psychology , Royal Holloway University of London , Egham , UK.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wroe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Beliefs about emotions; emotional suppression; irritable bowel syndrome; medically unexplained symptoms; quality of life