Stress Management for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Wayne State University106 enrolled

Overview

The primary goal of this study is to test the efficacy of emotional awareness and expression training (EAET), a novel emotional processing intervention that the investigators have developed, for people with IBS. In this randomized, controlled trial, the investigators will compare EAET to a standard intervention that teaches the conceptually opposite approach-relaxation training (RT)-and test how both of these interventions compare to a wait-list control condition. The investigators hypothesize that individuals in the EAET group will demonstrate greater improvement in their IBS symptom severity, psychological functioning, quality of life, and health care utilization at 4 and 12-week follow-up time points, compared to individuals in the wait-list control group. It is also expected that both of the active interventions (EAET and RT) will be more efficacious than the wait-list control condition.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

106

Conditions

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 70 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible to participate, individuals must meet the Rome III criteria for IBS. That is, they must report that they have had: * recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort, or * a change in stool frequency or form, * at least three days per month, in the last three months, and * that they have been given this diagnosis by a physician. They must also report having pain and discomfort of at least two days per week at time of screening. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals who report having post-infectious IBS, * organic gastrointestinal diseases (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease), immunodeficiency, * a current psychotic disorder, * drug or alcohol dependence within the past two years, and * those who are unable to communicate in English will be excluded.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

IBS symptom severity scale (IBS-SSS)

Time frame: Change from baseline symptom severity at 1 month and 3 months

Secondary Outcomes

McGill Pain Questionnaire, Short Form (SF-MPQ-2)

Time frame: Change from baseline pain at 1 month and 3 months

Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS)

Time frame: Change from baseline stool form at 1 month and 3 months

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Quality of Life (IBS-QOL)

Time frame: Change from baseline quality of life at 1 month and 3 months

Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)

Time frame: Change from baseline positive affect and negative affect at 1 month and 3 months

Impact of Events Scale - Revised (IES-R)

Time frame: Change from baseline impact of events at 1 month and 3 months

Toronto Alexithymia Scale -20 (TAS-20)

Time frame: Change from baseline alexithymia at 1 month and 3 months

Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS)

Time frame: Change from baseline assertiveness at 1 month and 3 months

Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Scale (AEQ)

Time frame: Change from baseline ambivalence over emotional expression at 1 month and 3 months

Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EAC)

Time frame: Change from baseline emotional approach coping at 1 month and 3 months

IBS self-efficacy questionnaire

Time frame: Change from baseline self-efficacy at 1 month and 3 months

Communicating Thoughts and Feelings Questionnaire

Time frame: Change from baseline ability to communicate thoughts and feelings at 1 month and 3 months

Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Improvement Scale - IBS version

Time frame: Change from baseline IBS symptoms at 1 month and 3 months

Health care Utilization Scale

Time frame: Change in health care utilization from baseline to 1-month and 3-month follow-ups

Brief Symptom Inventory

Time frame: Change in psychological symptoms from baseline to 1-month and 3-month follow-ups

Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form

Time frame: Change in Trauma reports from baseline to 1-month and 3-month follow-ups

Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire

Time frame: Change in attachment from baseline to 1-month and3-month follow-ups

General Social Constraints Scale

Time frame: Change in social constraints from baseline to 1-month and 3-month follow-ups

Medication use

Time frame: Change in medication use from baseline to 1-month and 3-month follow-ups