A Study of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Self-esteem, Depression, and Physical Health in Female University Students

여대생의 과민성 장 증후군, 자아존중감, 우울, 신체적 건강에 관한 연구

Purpose: The purpose of study was to explore the frequency of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) among female university students and identify self-esteem, depression, and physical health. Method: The secondary analysis was performed. A total 401 university female students were recruited from 1 university in Korea. IBS was diagnosed based on the Rome III criteria. The questionnaires included Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression(CESD) scale, and physical health questionnaire developed by Lee. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS Win 15.0 statistics program using frequencies, percentages, ANOVA, and the Pearson's correlations of the variables. Result: The frequency of IBS was 26.7% in students. All women had mixed constipation and diarrhea subtype of IBS. Compared to the women without IBS, those with IBS reported significantly lower scores on self-esteem and higher scores of CESD and on the physical health questionnaire. Conclusion: Nursing interventions targeting female students with IBS should be developed in order to reduce the depression and physical health problem and improve self-esteem.