The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy in female nursing students with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized trial

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. Aims 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. Patients and 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. Conclusion CBT proved to be an effective intervention for improving the clinical states of IBS in young female nursing students. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 26: 918-926 (C) 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.