The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Stress Inventory (IBD-SI). A measure of psychosocial stress in patients with IBD

The "Inflammatory Bowel Disease Stress Inventory (IBD-SI)" measures a broad spectrum of disease-specific every day stress factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Based on a multistage factor analysis on 300 CED patients, the final form comprises 32 items assigned to 8 different domains: depressed mood, doctor-patient relationship, anxiety about loss of bowel control, occupational impairment, worries about deteriovation, stress from medical treatment, impairment of sexuality/partnership and physical complaints. In addition, a global stress score can be obtained. The reliability values of the 8 subscales with 4 items each indicate a good internal consistency (alpha = 0.76 - 0.89) and a high retest reliability (r = 0.75 - 0.92). Significant correlations with medical and psychological variables supports the external validity of this questionnaire.