Comparison of patients diagnosed with irritabl bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia and undiagnosed individuals in terms of temperament, attachment and anxiety characteristics

Functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGID) are defined as a disease group that does not have an organic cause and includes psychosocial factors. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Functional Dyspepsia (FD), both of which fall into the FGID category, are diseases that account for a substantial portion of outpatient clinic admissions in our country and the world. The purpose of this study was to compare the temperament, attachment, and anxiety characteristics of patients with IBS and FD and those who were not diagnosed. Selection was based on volunteerism and accessibility principles among patients diagnosed with IBS (n = 46) and FD (n = 35) in the Gastroenterology Service of Kadıköy Florence Nightingale Hospital utilising ROMA IV criteria. The comparison group (n = 52) consisting of undiagnosed individuals was formed according to the principle of accessibility through the contribution of the employees of the same hospital and the occupational groups. Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to assess temperament, Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) was used to assess attachment, and the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess anxiety (STAI II). Results revealed that, the Diagnosis (+) group's mean attachment and trait anxiety scores were statistically significantly higher than the Diagnosis (-) group's mean scores. In the temperament variable, the mean scores of the novelty seeking and harm avoidance subscales were significantly higher in the IBS group compared to the Diagnosis (-) group, while the persistence subscale was low, and there was no significant difference in reward dependence. The FD group had higher mean scores for novelty seeking and significantly lower mean scores for persistence when compared to the Diagnosis (-) group. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, attachment and anxiety variables have no significant predictive effect on IBS and FD diseases; however, temperament variables of novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and persistence did have a significant predictive effect on diagnoses.