INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES AND RESILIENCE

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprising ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn
disease (CD), affects >1 million individuals in the United States and 2.5 million inEurope. IBD is an
immune-mediated chronic condition for which currently no definitive cure is available. The current study
utilizes apositive psychology framework to understand the role of stress in IBD, seeks a proof ofconcept
that stress resilience could be a protective factor in patients with IBD. Resilienceis defined as the inherent
and modifiable capacity of an individual to cope or recover from adversity.
OBJECTIVE: On the basis of previous knowledge, we want explain and bring closer the understanding of
the resilience of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
METHODS: The PubMed database, and the Google scholar database were searched. The search was
performed using keywords. This paper includes research dealing with resilience in patients with
inflammatory bowel diseases within the last ten years.
RESULTS: Although IBD imposes a mental and physical toll on individuals, someindividuals do report
feeling stronger due to having IBD. Most studies included in this review investigated psychological
resilience and trait resilience that promoted the ability to bounce back from IBD-related adversity.
Conversely, higher levels of resilience were found to predict better quality of life among IBD patients.
Higher levels of resilience predicted higher levels of adaptation to the ostomy; notably, perseverance—
defined as a trait of resilience was the most reliable predictor. Resilience was not significantly affected by
clinical characteristics in UC patients.
CONCLUSION: Many unmet needs still exist in the IBD research agenda, including a better
understanding of its physiopathology, reduction of diagnostic delays, discovery of more effective and
safer drugs, optimisation of existing therapies, improving patients’ adherence to the treatment plan,
improving patient’s quality of life, management of extraintestinal manifestations, and prevention of
complications. A multidimensional approach is necessary for delivering high-quality healthcare for IBD
patients.