The role of gastrointestinal specific anxiety and alexithymia as predictors of the severity of irritable bowel syndrome in women

Cover Page


Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

Aim. To analyze the role of gastrointestinal specific anxiety and alexithymia in predicting the severity of the disease in 194 women with moderate to severe IBS with refractory course (average duration of the disease 38.4 months).

Methods of investigation. Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale-IBS (GSRS-IBS), Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI), TAS-20, HADS, and SF-12.

Results. It was shown that in women, the severity of irritable bowel syndrome and the risks of refractory course are closely related to high alexithymia and uncontrolled gastrointestinal specific anxiety, which are also related to each other. Patients with severe IBS significantly differ from patients with moderate symptomocoplex manifestations (pain, bloating, diarrheal manifestations), satisfaction with the quality of life, pronounced symptoms of depression, visceral sensitivity and alexithymia, which contributes to the formation of a number of therapeutic barriers. Regression analysis showed that the severity of IBS was equally predicted by presence of alexithymia and gastrointestinal specific anxiety in the patient.

Conclusions. Alexithymia, especially the difficulty of expressing negative emotions (for example, irritation, anger), describing feelings, desires to other people, was a stronger factor in women predicting the severity of IBS compared to gastrointestinal specific anxiety. The presented symptomatic picture of alexithymic manifestations in patients with IBS shows that violations of emotional awareness affect the pathogenesis, the spectrum of reinsurance and avoidance behavior.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

Aleksey I. Melehin

Humanitarian Institute named after P.A. Stolypin

Author for correspondence.
Email: clinmelehin@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5633-7639
SPIN-code: 6982-1468

PhD, associate professor, clinical psychologist of the highest qualification category

Russian Federation, 107076, Moscow, Bukhvostova str., 1-ya, 12/11, bldg. 20

References

  1. Thakur E.R., Holmes H.J., Lockhart N.A. Emotional awareness and expression training improves irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Neurogastroenterol. Motil. 2017; 29 (12): 10–23. doi: 10.1111/nmo.13143.
  2. Vanheule S., Verhaeghe P., Desmet M. In search of a framework for the treatment of alexithymia. Psychol. Psychother. 2011; 84 (1): 84–97. doi: 10.1348/147608310X520139.
  3. Porcellia Р., Massimo De С., Gioacchino L. The role of alexithymia and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety as predictors of treatment outcome in irritable bowel syndrome. Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2017; 73 (9): 127–135. DOI: 10.1016/ j.comppsych.2016.11.010.
  4. Muscatello M.R., Bruno A., Mento C. Personality traits and emotional patterns in irritable bowel syndrome. World J. Gastroenterol. 2016; 22 (28): 6402–6415. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i28.6402.
  5. Nobari S., Nagi Ali Aghdasi. Comparing alexithymia, anxiety and perceived stress in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and healthy individuals. Spec. J. Psychol. Management. 2018; 4 (1): 21–29.
  6. Porcelli P., Bagby M.R. Alexithymia as predictor of treatment outcome in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Psychosomatic. 2003; 65 (5): 911–918. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000089064.13681.3b.
  7. Witthöft M., Hiller W. Psychological approaches to origins and treatments of somatoform disorders. Ann. Rev. Clin. Psychol. 2010; 6 (2): 257–283. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131505.
  8. Carrozzino D., Porcelli P. Alexithymia in gastroenterology and hepatology: A systematic review. Front. Psychol. 2018; 6 (9): 4–17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00470.
  9. Kano M., Endo Y., Fukudo S. Association between alexithymia and functional gastrointestinal disorders. Front. Psychol. 2018; 9: 5–19. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00599.
  10. Priti A. Alexithymia in irritable bowel syndrome. Indian J. Psychiat. 1998; 40 (1): 79–83. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00599.
  11. Somatoform and other psychosomatic disorders: A dialogue between contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy perspectives. Charis C., Panayiotou G. eds. NY: Springer. 2018; 227 р.
  12. Toner B.B., Garfinkel P.E., Jeejeebhoy K.N. Self-schema in irritable bowel syndrome and depression. Psychosom. Med. 1990; 52 (2): 149–155. doi: 10.1097/00006842-199003000-00003.
  13. Celina G.G., Amalia M.C., Hector R.H. Coping strategies in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. J. Psychiatry Depress Anxiety. 2019; 5 (23): 1–19. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2017.02.032.
  14. Lackner J.M. Skills over pills? A clinical gastroenterologist’s primer in cognitive behavioral therapy for irritable bowel syndrome. Exp. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2020; 1: 19–27. doi: 10.1080/17474124.2020.1780118.
  15. Мнацаканян М.Г., Погромов А.П., Тащян О.В., Колосова К.Ю. «Индекс висцеральной чувствительности» у больных СРК разного возраста. Эксперим. и клин. гастроэнтерол. 2020; 174 (2): 65–70. [Mnacakanjan M.G., Pogromov A.P., Tashhjan O.V., Kolosova K.Ju. Visceral sensitivity index in IBS patients of different ages. Jeksperimental’naja i klinicheskaja gastrojenterologija. 2020; 174 (2): 65–70. (In Russ.)]
  16. Мелёхин А.И. Дистанционная когнитивно-поведенческая психотерапия синдрома раздражённого кишечника: специфика и эффективность. Соврем. зарубежная психол. 2018; 7 (4): 56–74. [Melehin A.I. Remote cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: specificity and effectiveness. Sovremennaja zarubezhnaja psihologija. 2018; 7 (4): 56–74. (In Russ.)]
  17. Мелёхин А.И. Дистанционная форма когнитивно-поведенческой психотерапии рефрактерного синдрома раздражённого кишечника. Ж. телемед. и электронного здравоохр. 2020; 12 (2): 30–46. [Melehin A.I. Remote form of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy of refractory irritable bowel syndrome. Zhurnal telemediciny i jelektronnogo zdravoohranenija. 2020; 12 (2): 30–46. (In Russ.)]
  18. Мелёхин А.И. Когнитивно-поведенческая психотерапия интероцептивного воздействия при лечении синдрома раздражённого кишечника. Клин. и специальная психол. 2020; 9 (2): 1–33. [Melehin A.I. Kognitivno-povedencheskaja psihoterapija interoceptivnogo vozdejstvija pri lechenii sindroma razdrazhennogo kishechnika. Klinicheskaja i special’naja psihologija. 2020; 9 (2): 1–33. (In Russ.)]
  19. Мелёхин А.И. Экспозиционная когнитивно-поведенческая психотерапия при лечении нарушений кишечно-мозгового взаимодействия. Neurodynamics. Ж. клин. психол. и психиатрии. 2020; 2 (1): 20–41. [Melehin A.I. Jekspozicionnaja kognitivno-povedencheskaja psihoterapija pri lechenii narushenii kishechno-mozgovogo vzaimodejstvija. Neurodynamics. Zhurnal klinicheskoj psihologii i psihiatrii. 2020; 2 (1): 20–41. (In Russ.)]

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2021 Melehin A.I.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77 - 75562 от 12 апреля 2019 года.


This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies