Comparing the mental health of patients with irritable bowel syndrome and healthy subjects in Rasht (Iran), 2014-2015

Background and Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders in which psychological factors play an important role in developing and exacerbating the symptoms. The aim of current study was comparing mental health of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with normal individuals alongside the role of mental health predicting high risk of irritable bowel syndrome.   Materials and Methods: In a casual-comparative study, 2 groups of 96 patients who were affected by irritable bowel syndrome and meeting the diagnostic criteria of Rom-III and 96 normal individuals were selected through available sampling method. Data were collected by using the demographic questionnaire and general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and were then analyzed as well.   Results: Independent t-test analysis showed that mean scores of mental health in IBS patients (11/30) were higher than those in healthy subjects (19/57) and mental health variable can predict high risk of irritable bowel syndrome (p˂0.001).   Conclusion: On the basis of these results, mental health is one of the predicting factors in individuals at a high risk of irritable bowel syndrome. However, psychological factors dealing with appropriate therapy for these patients must be considered.