Unmasking the Silent Struggle: The Impact of Psychological Distress and Social Support on Health-Related Quality of Life in Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis

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Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-standing, recurrent disorder that affects not only physical health but also emotional well-being and social functioning, ultimately diminishing patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL). This paper assessed the association between psychological distress and perceived social support and HRQL in people with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 504 adults with IBD in outpatient gastroenterology clinics. Participants completed measures of psychological distress, perceived social support, and HRQL. Correlation, independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.

Results: There were significant negative correlations between psychological distress and social support (r = −0.53, p < 0.001) and between psychological distress and HRQL (r = −0.48, p < 0.001); however, there was a positive correlation between social support and HRQL (r = 0.62, p < 0.001). There was increased distress and poorer HRQL in females and younger adults. Patients with CD showed a higher level of distress and reduced HRQL compared to patients with UC. Regression revealed that HRQL was negatively predicted by psychological distress and disease activity, but positively predicted by social support and age.

Conclusions: HRQL is negatively associated with greater distress and active disease, whereas greater social support is positively associated with well-being of patients with IBD. Psychosocial care is potentially effective in improving clinical management.