PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CHILDREN WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Functional gastrointestinal disorders are considered as a clinical variant of the interaction between psychosocial factors and gastrointestinal tract physiology implemented through the "brain - intestine" axis. The purpose of the study was to investigate psychological peculiarities of children with irritable bowel syndrome. The study included 68 children aged from 14 to 18 years with the confirmed diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. To determine the type of character accentuation, the Schmishek -Leonhard test questionnaire (child version) was used. The SCL-90-R test questionnaire (by L. Derogatis method) was applied to determine psycho-emotional disorders. The study has found out the majority of patients have certain psycho-emotional disorders. The group of children with irritable bowel syndrome, who were experiencing constipation, more frequently demonstrated an emotional type of character accentuation and a somatized and depressed type of psychological disorders. The patients with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhoea had cycloid and demonstrative types of character accentuation and demonstrated an anxious type according to the questionnaire. The patients with mixed bowel rhythms exhibited features of a cycloid, emotional, and pedantic type of character accentuation. Depression, anxiety, somatised types were reported as manifestations of psychological disorders.