The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Health Anxiety, Perceived Stress, and Pain Self-Efficacy in Females with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Aims: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on health anxiety, perceived stress, and pain self-efficacy among women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Method and Materials: This study utilized a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group and included ۳۶ patients with IBS who were referred by gastroenterologists in Ardabil Province in ۲۰۲۵. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n ۱۸) or the control group (n ۱۸). The intervention group attended eight ۹۰-minute Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sessions. Data were collected using the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS version ۲۷. Findings: The results demonstrated that CBT significantly decreased illness likelihood (F۶۰.۹۲), illness severity (F۵۸.۶۱), body vigilance (F۶۴.۹۱), perceived stress (F۷۲.۸۶), and increased pain self-efficacy (F۶۹.۲۳) in females with IBS(P ۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion: The findings of the present study underscore the profound impact of CBT on psychological and functional outcomes in females with IBS. By significantly reducing health anxiety and perceived stress, and by enhancing pain self-efficacy, CBT addresses the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral mechanisms that perpetuate symptom severity and functional impairment in IBS.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ، Health Anxiety ، Perceived Stress ، Pain Self-efficacy ، irritable bowel syndrome