The Effectiveness of Unified Treatment Approach on Quality of Life and Symptoms of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Referred to Gastrointestinal Clinics

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the lower gastrointestinal tract caused by stress, and may benefit from a psychological intervention such as unified treatment approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of unified treatment approach on the symptoms and quality of life (QOL) of patients with IBS.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> The study population included all patients with IBS referred to gastrointestinal clinics of Ahwaz, Iran. Therefore, in a semi-experimental method, patients diagnosed with IBS were selected and underwent 8 2-hour group interventions. The data collection tools included Rome-III Diagnostic Criteria for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and<em> </em>the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life (IBS<em>-</em>QOL) Questionnaires which were completed in three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures MANCOVA in SPSS software.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The results of repeated measures MANCOVA and the follow-up study indicated significant decrease in the scores of symptoms and significant increase in the scores of QOL.</p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> According to the results of the present research, we can conclude that devising a treatment plan based on the unified treatment approach is effective in the increasing of QOL and decreasing of IBS symptoms