Study links IBD illness perceptions to weaker self-management
Researchers found health anxiety partly mediated the relationship in a 326-patient inflammatory bowel disease study published in Scientific Reports.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
2 min read
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who had higher illness perception scores tended to have lower self-management behavior scores, according to a study published June 16 in Scientific Reports. The study also found that health anxiety partly explained that relationship, suggesting a potential target for improving how patients manage the condition.
Ronghua Wang of The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China and colleagues studied 326 patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. According to the researchers, the patients were enrolled between June 2023 and June 2025.
The team examined illness perception, health anxiety and self-management behavior using three measures: the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory and the IBD Self-Management Behavior Scale. The researchers reported mean scores of 47.31 on the illness perception questionnaire, 28.89 on the health anxiety inventory and 67.79 on the self-management scale.
According to Wang and colleagues, the analysis showed a significant negative correlation between illness perception scores and self-management behavior. In practical terms, patients with higher scores on the illness perception measure were more likely to have lower self-management scores in the study.
The researchers also reported that illness perception scores were positively correlated with health anxiety scores. Health anxiety scores, in turn, were negatively correlated with self-management behavior, according to the study.
The mediation analysis found both a direct and an indirect link between illness perception and self-management behavior. Wang and colleagues reported that the direct negative association accounted for 82.69% of the total effect, while the indirect association through health anxiety accounted for 17.31%.
The study also identified differences tied to age, disease duration and income. According to the researchers, patients older than 60 had significantly lower self-management scores, as did patients who had lived with the disease for more than five years.
Patients with a monthly income above 5,000 yuan had higher self-management scores, Wang and colleagues reported. The study did not report that the observed associations prove cause and effect.
The authors said their findings indicate that patients’ views of their illness and their health-related anxiety may be useful targets for efforts to improve self-management behaviors in people with IBD. The study was published under the title “Mediating effect of health anxiety in patients with inflammatory bowel disease between disease perception and self-management behavior.”
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.