The Relationship between Type D Personality and Gastrointestinal Symptom Levels in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Özet

Objective: The aim of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between type D personality and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods: A total of 168 of 192 patients who presented at the gastroenterology polyclinic of a university hospital between February 15 and May 15, 2019 and were diagnosed with IBS were enrolled. The data were collected using a patient identification form, the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), and the Type D Scale-14 (DS-14) personality assessment. Results: Of the IBS patients studied, 70.8% had type D personality. The GSRS total score of the patients with type D personality (p=0.001), as well as their reflux (p=0.001), diarrhea (p=0.01), abdominal pain (p=0.001), constipation (p=0.001), and indigestion (p=0.004) subdimension scores were statistically significantly higher than those without type D personality. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the GSRS total score and all subdimension scores except reflux had a predictive value of 20% (R2=0.203; p<0.0001). Conclusion: In all, 70.8% of individuals diagnosed with IBS were classified as type D personality. The gastrointestinal symptoms of abdominal pain, reflux, diarrhea, indigestion, and constipation were more prevalent among individuals with type D personality compared with other personality types.