Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): variables associated with health-related quality of life, stress, and health behaviors

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the associations between level of knowledge (of IBD), health-related quality of life, perceived stress, adherence, and medical events (i.e., hospitalizations and relapse rates). In addition, this study also aimed to explore the association between level of activity in support groups, perceived support outside of support groups and health-related quality of life. A total of 134 individuals with IBD were recruited via convenience sampling online for this study. The mean participant age was 32.5 years (SD=10.0), 94% were Caucasian and 81.3% were female. Fifty-eight percent of individuals had Crohn's disease (CD) and 42% had ulcerative colitis (UC). All the participants lived in the United States.;The findings did not provide evidence that IBD knowledge was associated with HRQOL or levels of perceived stress. However, findings did suggest that perceived stress was positively associated with number of relapses. There was also no evidence of a relationship between IBD knowledge and hospitalization in the past year, and IBD knowledge and adherence to medication (measured by the Morisky scale) or medical recommendations (measured by the MOS scale). Likewise, the findings did not provide evidence that activity in online support groups was related to HRQOL, levels of perceived stress, adherence to medication and medical recommendations and perceived support outside of support groups.;This study adds additional insight to the existing literature about factors that may influence individuals with IBD. Although study hypotheses were generally not supported, the relationship found between levels of perceived stress and number of relapses confirms the adverse effects acute and chronic stressors may have on a given disease, specifically IBD. While exploratory, it suggests the potential therapeutic and psychosocial benefits of acquiring techniques that can help reduce the levels of perceived stress, thereby reducing number of relapses, by perhaps referral of individuals to a clinical health psychologist or psychologists who specialize in chronic medical disorders. Results from this study may assist in designing interventions that could possibly help alleviate the psychological and psychosocial distress this population encounters.;Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease, disease knowledge, quality of life, perceived stress, health behaviors, adherence, online support groups, perceived support.