The structural equations model the relationship between symptom severity and illness perception with health-related quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract  and  has  a  negative  effect  on  health-related  quality  of  life.  The aim  of  this study  was  to  investigate  the  structural  pattern  of  the  relationship  between symptom  severity  and  illness  perception  with  health-related  quality  of  life  in patients  with  irritable  bowel  syndrome.  For  this  purpose,  during  a  correlational study  of  structural  equations  modeling,  130  patients  with  irritable  bowel syndrome were selected by the Pursina Hakim Gastroenterology Clinic in Isfahan by  the  convenience  sampling  and  evaluated  in  terms  of  severity  of  symptoms, illness  perception  questionnaire  and  quality  of  life. Data analysis by structural equation  modeling  method  showed  that  the  severity  of  disease  symptoms  has  a direct effect on quality of life related to health and the indirect effect of severity of  disease symptoms  on quality  of  life  related to  health  was  mediated by  illness perception.  The  effect  of  illness  perception  on  the  severity  of  symptoms  was confirmed.  The  ability  to  understand  the  illness  perception  seems  to  play  a mediating role in the relationship  between the severity  of  symptoms  and healthrelated  quality of life.