Soleimani, Esmaeil (E);Chitsaz, Mahdi (M);

Author information

Ann Med Surg (Lond).2025 Mar 28;87(5):2633-2637.doi:10.1097/MS9.0000000000003157

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders, significantly affecting the quality of life of patients. Recent research indicates that psychological factors, such as stress and hostile attribution, can exacerbate the severity of IBS symptoms. This study aims to explore the structural relationships among IBS symptom severity, hostile attribution, perceived stress, and cognitive bias, with a mediating role of negative meta-emotions.

METHODS: This descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 adults diagnosed with IBS in Tabriz. Data were collected using validated questionnaires, including the Hostile Attribution Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Negative Meta-Emotion Questionnaire, and the Cognitive Bias Scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS software and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS software.

RESULTS: The findings revealed that perceived stress and hostile attribution significantly influenced cognitive biases ( < 0.01). Furthermore, negative meta-emotions acted as a mediating variable in these relationships and had a positive and significant impact on IBS symptom severity. SEM analysis indicated that the overall effect of perceived stress on cognitive bias was 0.55, while the impact of hostile attribution was 0.49. These results underscore the crucial role of negative meta-emotions in enhancing the relationships among the studied variables.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of negative meta-emotions as key mediators in explaining IBS symptoms. The obtained results can assist in designing effective psychological interventions for managing IBS symptoms. Addressing psychological factors and negative meta-emotions in the treatment of this disorder may lead to improvements in patient's quality of life and reductions in the severity of their symptoms. Future research should focus on investigating targeted interventions in this area and conducting longitudinal analyses.