The present thesis aimed at determining the role of psychosocial stress in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). In a first study, the association between self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms and perceived stress, operationalized by a well-established multidimensional approach, was investigated. In the second study, we examined the functionality of the most prominent endocrine stress system – the hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis – in a sample of women with irritable bowel syndrome (a particular FGID).
The present thesis aimed at determining the role of psychosocial stress in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). In a first study, the association between self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms and perceived stress, operationalized by a well-established multidimensional approach, was investigated. In the second study, we examined the functionality of the most prominent endocrine stress system – the hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis – in a sample of women with irritable bowel syndrome (a particular FGID).
Kerstin Suarez