Evaluation of the relationship between patients' perceived stress level and gastrointestinal symptoms

Gul Demet, ED. Evaluation of the relationship between patients' perceived stress level and gastrointestinal symptoms, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir, 2024. Nowadays, stress has become an important part of daily life, especially in business life. Stress in the literature; it has been associated with ulcers, functional gastrointestinal system (GIS) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and similar diseases. Although gastrointestinal symptoms are very common in society, their etiology has not been fully explained. The purpose of this research; to try to elucidate the connection between the level of perceived stress in patients and the symptoms in the gastrointestinal system. 307 patients who applied to Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine Family Medicine Polyclinic participated in this cross-sectional-descriptive study. The survey form used to collect data included sociodemographic characteristics, the Perceived Stress Scale consisting of 14 questions, and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale consisting of 15 questions. The average total score of perceived stress among the individuals participating in our research was 26.3±8.2. In our study, the total prevalence rate of Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale in individuals was found to be 33.3. In our study, a positive correlation was found between perceived stress level and the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms. While gastrointestinal symptoms were found to be higher along with the perceived stress level in women and single individuals, scores in all subgroups of the two scales were observed to be high in individuals who use alcohol and do not have healthy eating habits. Gastrointestinal symptoms are common complaints, especially in primary health care. Therefore, it is very valuable for all physicians working in primary health care to have up-to-date knowledge of pharmacological and complementary treatment methods for gastrointestinal symptoms. Key Words: Perceived Stress, gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life