Irritable bowel syndrome in nurses and their mental health

Objective To investigate the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in nurses and their mental health. Methods A sampling survey was conducted using questionnaires in nurses of departments of internal medicine, surgery and ICU of our hospital from June 2011 to October 2011.IBS was diagnosed according to the Rome Ⅲcriteria.Mental health of the nurses was assessed with the symptom self evaluation table SCL-90. Results Of the investigated 342 nurses, 24 were diagnosed with IBS according to the Rome Ⅲcriteria with an incidence of 7.0%.The incidence of IBS was the highest in 20–30 years old nurses (7.9%).The scores of different factors on the SCL-90 were higher in nurses with IBS than in those without IBS.The incidence of somatization disturbance, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, phobia and delusion was higher in nurses with IBS than in those without IBS (P< 0.05). Conclusion The incidence of IBS is high in nurses, especially in those aged 20-30 years.The mental heath of nurse with IBS is rather poor.