Aelee Jang, Sun-Kyung Hwang, Nikhil S Padhye, and Janet C Meininger. J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017;23:435-45. https://doi.org/10.5056/jnm17017

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is highly prevalent in young women under stressful conditions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been known to be effective in treating IBS. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of CBT in female nursing students with IBS. The primary outcome measure of the study was the Bowel Symptom Severity Scale-IBS version. Ninety diagnosed participants were randomized to each group in a randomized pretest-post-test control group design. The experimental group received an 8-week CBT intervention, and the control group received general information on IBS. Bowel symptom severity, dysfunctional attitudes, and IBS-quality of life were assessed at baseline and after 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Six experimental and eight control participants withdrew during the study because of various reasons. Significant effects were found for bowel symptom severity (frequency: P<0.001; distress: P<0.001; disability: P<0.001) between the experimental (n=39) and the control (n=37) groups. The overall IBS-quality of life improved over time in the CBT group (P<0.001). The CBT also showed the alleviation of dysphoria (P=0.010), interference with activity (P=0.031), and health worry (P=0.009), and the improvement of body image (P=0.008) and relationships (P=0.041) compared with the control group. CBT proved to be an effective intervention for improving the clinical states of IBS in young female nursing students.

Rotating shift work places a serious burden on nurses’ physical and psychological health. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are a common complaint among shift workers. This study assessed GI symptoms and identified the associations between dietary habits, psychological status, and sleep quality among rotating shift nurses. Data from 125 female nurses in rotating shifts who worked at two tertiary hospitals in South Korea were collected using a questionnaire that included the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire; the Dietary Habit Questionnaire; the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS)-21; and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). All participants experienced various GI symptoms, and 47% of them complained of at least one severe GI symptom. There were significant differences in GI symptom scores according to the status of depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality. In multiple linear regression analysis, the factors associated with an increase in the occurrence and severity of GI symptoms were poor sleep quality and morbid anxiety and stress. The model explained power at 43.2%. As most nurses in rotating shifts experience GI symptoms, they should receive counseling and training programs at work to alleviate psychological symptoms, improve sleep quality, and pay more attention to their health status as well as GI symptom management.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of guar gum on postprandial blood pressure in older people. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Community senior centers in B city, South Korea. Twenty-two older female adults aged 67 to 88 with postprandial hypotension. The participants were randomly assigned to guar gum (semi-fluid food with 9 gram) or placebo intervention during the first treatment phase. After a washout period of 1 week, the two interventions were switched to the other in the second treatment phase. Blood pressure was measured during both phases before having a meal and every 15 minutes during 120 minutes after a meal with automated sphygmomanometer. Change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) over time was significantly different between guar gum and placebo groups (F=4.07, p=0.001). Compared with placebo group, guar gum group had significantly low prevalence of postprandial hypotension (PPH) (guar gum group=18.2% vs. placebo group=72.7%; Χ²=13.20, p< 0.001). It also had significant difference in change of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) over time between guar gum and placebo groups (F=2.49, p=0.027). This findings show that guar gum could be effective on postprandial drops in blood pressure in older female adults.

Jeon JH, et al. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2014 Dec;44(6):660-671. http://dx.doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2014.44.6.660

Jung EY, et al. Korean J Adult Nurs. 2018 Oct;30(5):493-503. https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2018.30.5.493