Comparing Neuroticism, Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Behavioral Inhibition, and Emotion Regulation Between Patients With Functional Dyspepsia and Healthy Individuals

Functional Dyspepsia (FD) is the most common disorder of the upper gastrointestinal tract. FD is characterized by chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms in the absence of any organic or metabolic diseases, i.e., likely to explain them. Although FD does not lead to death, it significantly reduces a patientchr('39')s quality of life due to frequent clinical presentations, repeated medical visits, requiring healthcare services, and absenteeism from social settings. FD also imposes high costs on the healthcare system. Despite the existence of extensive empirical evidence to support the impact of psychological factors on FD, data on this issue are scarce. Thus, the current study aimed to compare neuroticism, Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS), Behavioral Inhibition (BI), and Emotion Regulation (ER) between patients with FD and a healthy group.

This comparative study was conducted in the summer and autumn of 2017 in Mashhad City, Iran. The statistical population of the study consisted of all patients who were referred to the gastroenterology clinic of the Ghaem Hospital where FD was definitively diagnosed by a gastroenterologist following laboratory tests data and endoscopic examination. The research sample consisted of 60 patients with FD who were selected using the convenience sampling method as well as 60 healthy adults who were matched for age, gender, and education with the test group. The inclusion criteria for the patient group of the study were as follows: receiving a definitive diagnosis of FD by a gastroenterologist after obtaining the laboratory tests results and conducting endoscopic examinations; the lack of organic diseases, like cancer and any gastric ulcers; a treatment history of helicobacter pylori infection and helicobacter pylori eradication therapy; literacy and awareness to complete the questionnaires; voluntary agreement to participate in the research; being adults aged 18–60 years; the lack of other serious physical illnesses, and the absence of major psychiatric disorders (as per the information obtained from the patient.( For the control group, the inclusion criteria included no FD, the absence of other serious physical illnesses, and no major psychiatric disorders )as per the data obtained from the participant) .In both research groups, the study participants completed the NEO–Five Factor Inventory (NEO–FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992), the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS; Aron & Aron, 1997), the Behavioral Activation And Inhibition Systems Scales (BAISS; Carver & White, 1994), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer 2004). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS by Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Independent Samples –test at the significance level of 0.05.

The current research findings indicated a significant difference in neuroticism between the study groups (p<0.001). The experimental group’s neuroticism scores were significantly higher than those of the controls. Comparing the scores of HSPS (p<0.001) and its subscales, including the ease of excitation (p<0.001), aesthetic sensitivity (p<0.001), and low sensory threshold (p<0.001) suggested a significant difference between the study groups (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between the healthy and patient groups in ER (p<0.001) and all of its dimensions, including the non–acceptance of emotional responses (p<0.001), difficulties engaging in goal–directed behaviors (p<0.001), impulse control problems (p<0.001), the lack of emotional awareness (p<0.001), limited access to ER strategies (p<0.001), and the lack of emotional clarity (p=0.014). The results of comparing the research groups concerning BI also revealed a significant difference (p<0.001), where the experimental group’s mean score was significantly higher than that of the controls.

The present study results indicated that high neuroticism, SPS, and BI, as well as emotion dysregulation, can be psychological characteristics involved in FD. Identifying these factors and applying appropriate psychological techniques along with medical interventions can facilitate the process of treating this condition.