Taḥqīqāt-i ̒Ulūm-i Raftārī (Dec 2016)
Comparison of Neurotic Symptoms in Patients with Gastrointestinal Disease, Their Healthy Relatives, and Control Group
Abstract
Aim and Background: Interference of psychological and physical factors in the digestive system has always been of grave importance. The aim of this study was to compare neurotic symptoms among patients with gastrointestinal disease, their healthy relatives, and a control group. Methods and Materials: This causal-comparative study was conducted through a descriptive design. The study participants were selected through convenience sampling and divided into patients (n = 100), healthy relatives (n = 60), and control (n = 100) groups. The data collection tool was the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Data were analyzed in SPSS software. Findings: A significant difference was observed between the three groups in terms of psychosis (P = 0.04), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (P < 0.001), somatization (P < 0.001), and anxiety (P = 0.02). Moreover, there was a significant difference between patients and control groups in terms of Global Symptoms Index (GSI) (P = 0.02), psychosis (P = 0.01), OCD (P < 0.001), somatization (P < 0.001), and anxiety (P = 0.01). There was a significant difference between the healthy relatives and control groups in terms of OCD (P = 0.02) and anxiety (P = 0.04). Conclusions: There is a strong relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and emotional problems. The results of the present study can be a basis for more in-depth studies on gastrointestinal disorders, and an important step toward the description, recognition, and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The performance of similar studies with a wider scope and greater depth is suggested.
