The Effects of Group Logotherapy on the Severity of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the Quality of Life of the Affected Patients

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is among the most unknown psychosomatic disorders in the field of gastroenterology. IBS is a chronic, disabling, and functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, it is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits in the absence of identifiable structural diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of group logotherapy on the IBS symptoms and Quality of Life in patients with IBS.

In a randomized clinical trial study, 30 IBS patients were selected; of them, 15 took part in 10×1 group therapy, and 15 were the controls. The data gathering tools included the IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) for assessing the severity of IBS and the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life (IBS-QOL) questionnaire. These inventories were completed in 3 stages of pre-test, Post-test, and follow-up. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS. 

The mean scores of the experimental group, including pre-test (50.97), Post-test (30.50), and follow-up (25.83) phases, revealed significant changes in the studied patients’ Quality of Life and decreased IBS severity scores. Moreover, these results remained consistent in the follow-up study that indicated a significant decrease in the IBS severity and Quality of Life of the patients (P<0.05). 

According to the present research data, developing a treatment plan based on group logo-therapy intervention is effective in improving the patients’ Quality of Life, and decreasing IBS severity