Psychological predictors of reduced quality of life in adolescents with gastroenterological pathology

Introduction. Gastroenterological diseases in adolescents often occur against the background of anxiety-depressive symptoms and somatization. However, the role of rumination, cognitive and psychological flexibility, as well as subjective well-being in reducing the quality of life in this pathology in adolescents has not been studied enough.

Aim. To assess the relationship between emotional and cognitive factors and quality of life in adolescents aged 14–18 with functional and organic gastroenterological disorders.

Materials and methods. A one-stage comparative study was conducted with the participation of 222 adolescents aged 14–18 years: 117 patients with verified gastroenterological pathology (the main group) and 105 conditionally healthy individuals (the control group). The structure of the main group: functional dyspepsia – 39 people, irritable bowel syndrome – 30 adolescents, chronic gastritis and gastroduodenitis – 30, gastroesophageal reflux disease – 18 patients. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the PHQ-15 questionnaire, and the short form of the SF-36 questionnaire and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) were used to assess quality of life. The Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), the CFI questionnaire in Russian translation, the AAQ-II questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Affective Balance Scale (ABS) were also used.

Results. In the main group, most of the psychological indicators were significantly higher: anxiety (HADS-A: 9.2 ± 3.9 vs. 5.0 ± 2.7; p < 0.001), depression (HADS-D: 7.9 ± 3.7 vs. 3.9 ± 2.3; p < 0.001), somatization (PHQ-15: 11.7 ± 4.6 vs. 5.1 ± 2.8; p < 0.001), rumination (RRS. Rumination was correlated with anxiety (r = 0.49), depression (r = 0.42), and somatization (r = 0.31). Psychological inflexibility was associated with the mental component of quality of life (r = -0.50) and GIQLI (r = -0.31).

Conclusion. Adolescents with gastroenterological pathology differed from healthy peers in all the psychological indicators studied. Rumination, psychological inflexibility, and life satisfaction are associated with quality of life.

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