Trajectories of psychological stress in youth across the first year of inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis

• Published in: Journal of psychosomatic research 2023-02, Vol.165, p.111143-111143, Article 111143
• Main Authors: Rea, Kelly E., Cushman, Grace K., Westbrook, Adrianna L., Reed, Bonney
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - psychology; Female; Humans; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - diagnosis; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - psychology; Logistic Models; Self Report; Stress; Stress, Psychological - diagnosis; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0022-3999; 1879-1360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111143

Youth newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may be physically impacted by their disease and experience increased psychological stress. Stress is known to relate to greater reported IBD symptoms, but little is known about the longitudinal experience of stress and clinical symptoms of youth newly diagnosed with IBD. Fifty-seven children (Mage = 14.26, range 8–17 years) diagnosed with IBD completed measures assessing psychological stress (PROMIS Psychological Stress Experiences), depressive symptoms (Children's Depression Inventory-2), and clinical disease symptoms (Self-Report Disease Activity) within 45 days of diagnosis and at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to describe trajectory patterns of psychological stress over the first year of diagnosis and logistic regression identified predictors of group membership. Two distinct groups of psychological stress trajectories were identified: 1) low prevalence over the first year of diagnosis (51%) and 2) moderate and increasing prevalence (49%). Membership in the moderate and increasing psychological stress group was associated with female sex and greater IBD symptoms at diagnosis. Findings suggest roughly half of youth newly diagnosed with IBD would likely benefit from multidisciplinary assessment and intervention to promote adaptive stress management, given moderate and increasing stress levels. Future research is needed to evaluate specific intervention techniques most helpful to youth with IBD. •Two stress trajectories over first year emerged: 1) low and 2) moderate/increasing.•Moderate/increasing stress was associated with female sex and greater IBD symptoms.•Assessment and intervention to promote adaptive stress management likely beneficial.