Self-Perceived Stress Is Associated With Chest Pain and Personality in Patients With Refractory Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Issue 5 (22nd May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bouchoucha, Michel; Devroede, Ghislain; Deutsch, David; Airinei, Gheorghe; Sabate, Jean-Marc; Benamouzig, Robert
• Is Part Of: Journal of nervous and mental disease. Volume 210:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 342
• Page End: 347
• Publication Date: 2022-05-22
• Subjects: Stress -- chest pain -- depression -- irritable bowel syndrome -- Rome criteria -- MMPI-2; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Neurology; Psychiatry; Neurologie; Psychiatrie; Neurology; Psychiatry; Periodicals; 616.8005
• DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-3018

Abstract

Abstract : Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract: Stressful events are frequently associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). This study aims to determine if the severity of self-perceived stress is associated with specific FGID and personality characteristics in 822 patients with FGID who have filled a Rome III questionnaire, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), and a 10-point Likert scale for self-perceived stress. According to stress severity, the patients were divided into three groups: low (<4; n = 183), moderate (4–6; n = 283), and severe stress (>6; n = 356). Female sex was more frequent in the severe stress group than in the low stress group ( p = 0.001). Stress severity was strongly correlated with the two MMPI-2 posttraumatic stress scales. Clinically, chest pain was more frequently reported by severe stress patients than moderate stress patients. MMPI-2 clinical scales vary significantly according to the severity of stress, and "mild stress" patients have increased hysteria and depression scales and showed a higher frequency of irritable bowel syndrome–diarrhea. This study shows that severe stress severity is associated with a higher frequency of noncardiac chest pain and correlated with most personality items.