The measurement of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-related misconceptions in people with IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic disorder affecting betwe en 15% and 22% of Western populations; core symptoms include abdominal pain and disturbed bowel function. Adjusting to living with IBS may entail cons iderable coping effort and, because medical treatments are largely ineffect ive, people with IBS must learn to manage the condition themselves. Self-ma nagement programs that include an increased awareness of and information re lating to chronic illness have been shown to lead to positive benefits. The present article describes the development of the IBS misconceptions scale, an instrument designed to measure the misconceptions held by people with I BS. The final 17-item questionnaire was able to differentiate between three groups expected to differ in terms df IBS-related misconceptions, and show ed good validity and reliability. The IBS-MS may be a useful tool in patien t education programs, because it should be sensitive to changes in illness- related knowledge gained during intervention programs, and it is hoped that further research win lend further support to its reliability, validity, an d usefulness. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.