Irritable bowel syndrome and vocational stress: individual psychotherapy: research

Abstract

The goal of this study was to provide individualised psychotherapy for a sample suffering from IBS and vocational stress. A comparison was made between an experimental group of IBS (N = 20) participants who received the intervention with a control group of IBS (N = 20) participants who received no intervention. The Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index (FBDSI) and the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) were used to determine the severity of their IBS symptoms and the incidence of their vocational stress. Participants fell within the refractory range of IBS symptom severity and between medium to high vocational stress. The study sought to ascertain the effectiveness of holistic individual psychotherapy combined with a synergistic stress management programme in response to the calls for more inclusive and holistic interventions for IBS. This holistic intervention was based on the ecosystemic paradigm which incorporated participants' intra-systemic functioning as well as their wider societal system levels, including family and work subsystems. This intervention appeared to be successful in assisting clients to manage their IBS and their vocational stress.



Die doelstelling van hierdie studie was om geïndividualiseerde psigoterapie te verskaf aan 'n steekproef van lyers met Prikkelbare Dermsindroom (PDS) en beroepspanning. 'n Vergelyking is getref tussen 'n eksperimentele groep deelnemers met PDS (n=20) wat wél die intervensie ondergaan het en 'n kontrolegroep (n=20) met lyers wat geen intervensie ondergaan het nie. Die Funksionele Dermversteuring Erns Indeks (FDEI) en die Beroepspanningsopname is gebruik om die graad van ernstigheid van hul PDS-simptome asook die voorkoms van hul beroepspanning vas te stel. Deelnemers se PDS-simptome het binne die behandelingstrae reikwydte geval en daar is vasgestel dat hulle beroepspanning tussen medium tot hoog was. Die studie poog om die effektiwiteit van holistiese individuele terapie, gekombineer met 'n sinergistiese stresbeheerprogram, te bepaal in respons op die huidige soeke na 'n inklusiewe holistiese intervensie vir die behandeling van PDS. Hierdie holistiese intervensie is gebaseer op 'n ekosistemiese paradigma wat die deelnemer se intrasistemiese funksionering asook sy/haar wyer gemeenskapsisteemvlakke, insluitend gesin en werksubsisteme, inkorporeer. Dit wil voorkom asof hierdie intervensie die kliënte help om hulle PDS en beroepspanning suksesvol te beheer.


(Health SA Gesondheid: interdisciplinary research journal: 2003 8(3): 13-25)