Evaluation of Most Common Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms Prevalence among LSMU Students and Possible Association of these Symptoms with Psychoemotional State

Author: Emilija Šabatina Title: „Evaluation of most common functional gastrointestinal symptoms prevalence among LSMU students and possible association of these symptoms with psychoemotional state“ The aim of the research: to determine the prevalence of symptoms characteristic of functional gastrointestinal disorders among LSMU students, to evaluate the students' psychoemotional state and the relationship of this state with the occurrence of symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders. Research tasks: 1. To determine and evaluate the prevalence of functional dyspepsia symptoms in the study group. 2. To determine and evaluate the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in the study group. 3. To determine and evaluate the prevalence of functional constipation symptoms in the study group. 4. To determine whether abdominal pain or discomfort in the epigastrium affects the quality of life of LSMU students. 5. To determine to whom LSMU students turn to for help when experiencing abdominal pain or discomfort. 6. To determine and evaluate the prevalence of psycho-emotional state in the study group. 7. To assess the relationship between functional gastrointestinal disorders and prevalence of psycho-emotional disorders. Methodology: A questionnaire was developed based on the analysis of the scientific literature. The study has been conducted since October 2019 to April 2020. During the research, LSMU students filled in an anonymous questionnaire published on the website www.apklausa.lt. 325 LSMU students participated in the study, 313 (96.3%) questionnaire data were used for data analysis, as 12 (3.7%) respondents were diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease. Sociodemographic data were collected, and questions were asked to find out what symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders occur in LSMU students, and the DASS-21 questionnaire was used to assess negative emotional states (depression, anxiety, stress). The analysis of the research data was performed using the software package "SPSS 26.0 for Windows". The significance level p