Stress Reduction and Lifestyle Modification in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients

Effect of a Stress Reduction and Lifestyle Modification Programme on the Quality of Life of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients (MBM IBS)

In the planned efficacy study, a prospective randomized controlled trial will be conducted to investigate the extent to which a multimodal stress reduction and lifestyle modification program can be reflected in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) within the framework of a clinical study. For this purpose, 118 patients with IBS will be enrolled in a clinical study. The intervention group will participate in a partial outpatient multimodal stress reduction and lifestyle modification program over 10 weeks, while the waitlist control group will only receive an educational session and written information on treatment and self-help options. The primary research question encompasses the examination of the program's impact on the severity of symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (measured with the IBS-Symptom Severity Scale [IBS-SSS]) and additionally its influence on quality of life, stress, and mental well-being. Another aspect of the study is the utilization of medical services (e.g., comparing the number of doctor visits; intake of prescribed and over-the-counter medications). Additionally, a comparison of days of work disability will be conducted.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: lifestyle modification; Behavioral: waitlist control group

Detailed Description

The intervention is a 10-week multimodal stress reduction and lifestyle modification program consisting of 10 sessions, each lasting 6 hours. In groups of around 10 individuals, patients are comprehensively trained on the interplay between lifestyle and health, stress management, moderate physical activity (including yoga and Tai Chi), a Mediterranean diet, and self-help strategies. Successfully tested in two pilot studies, the program has evolved over 15 years and gained clinical experience in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. It is now being applied to patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Built on concepts like the Mind-Body Program and mindfulness-based stress reduction, the intervention incorporates elements from salutogenic and transtheoretical models and psychotherapeutic approaches.

Few integrative medicine approaches for IBS have undergone rigorous evaluation. IBS patients often experience reduced quality of life due to stress and psychosocial symptoms. The program, proven effective in inflammatory bowel diseases, covers stress reduction, dietary improvement, physical activity promotion, self-care applications, coping strategy training, and naturopathic treatments. Medically supervised, the group setting aims to enhance the intervention's impact through mutual support. Practical skills are demonstrated, and the goal is to empower patients for active, responsible, long-term management.

Participants in the waitlist control group receive a 1,5-hour educational session on lifestyle factors' influence and self-help materials. After week 36 measurements, they are offered participation in the multimodal program.

Questionnaires, a diary, and interviews will measure the outcomes of the study. Sociodemographics will be collected.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 118
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sandra Utz, PhD; Phone Number: 16926 +49 951 503; Email: sandra.utz@sozialstiftung-bamberg.de
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Christine Uecker; Phone Number: 16932 +49 951 503; Email: christine.uecker@sozialstiftung-bamberg.de

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Bavaria
    • Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, 96049
      • Recruiting
      • Sozialstiftung Bamberg
      • Contact: Jost Langhorst, Prof. Dr.; Phone Number: 11650 +49 951 503; Email: FIGN@sozialstiftung-bamberg.de

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• confirmed diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS with diarrhea, IBS with constipation, mixed-type IBS, or unspecified IBS); IBS-SSS Score > 75

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe mental illness (e.g., clinically significant depression, substance use disorder, schizophrenia)
• Severe comorbid somatic illness (e.g., oncological disease)
• Pregnancy
• Participation in other stress reduction programs or clinical studies on psychological interventions
• Known intolerances (fructose, lactose), celiac disease, etc.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: intervention group; Once a week for 10 weeks with a circumference of 60 hours with mindfulness-based stress reduction and further process of the Mind / body medicine.	Behavioral: lifestyle modification; The group intervention is carried out once a week for 10 weeks for a total of 60 hours with elements of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mind / body medicine. In this project, this program will be adapted to the specific needs of irritable bowel syndrome patients.
Active Comparator: waitlist control group; A unique education unit within the scope of 1,5 hours on the influence of lifestyle factors on the disease and self-help materials for the independent training. After the follow-up measurement opportunity to participate in the program.	Behavioral: waitlist control group; Participants in this group receive a one-time education unit within the scope of 1,5 hours on the influence of lifestyle factors on the disease, also self-help materials for independent training offered. Following the follow-up measure also this group is given the opportunity to participate in the multimodal stress reduction- and lifestyle modification program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Severity of IBS symptoms by IBS-SSS	Irritable bowel syndrome severity scoring system (IBS-SSS); 5-item questionnaire; scale from 0% (= not at all) to 100% (= very severe); cut-off of IBS-SSS scores to evaluate the severity of IBS: < 175 for mild IBS, 175-300 for moderate IBS, and > 300 for severe IBS	week 0
Severity of IBS symptoms by IBS-SSS	Irritable bowel syndrome severity scoring system (IBS-SSS); 5-item questionnaire; scale from 0% (= not at all) to 100% (= very severe); cut-off of IBS-SSS scores to evaluate the severity of IBS: < 175 for mild IBS, 175-300 for moderate IBS, and > 300 for severe IBS	week 12
Severity of IBS symptoms by IBS-SSS	Irritable bowel syndrome severity scoring system (IBS-SSS); 5-item questionnaire; scale from 0% (= not at all) to 100% (= very severe); cut-off of IBS-SSS scores to evaluate the severity of IBS: < 175 for mild IBS, 175-300 for moderate IBS, and > 300 for severe IBS	week 36
overall change in health status	Rating scale from 1 (= much worse) to 5 (= much better)	week 12
overall change in health status	Rating scale from 1 (= much worse) to 5 (= much better)	week 36

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anxiety and depression by HADS	Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 14 items (7 each for depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety). The two summated scores of the summated scales HADS-A and HADS-D range between 0 and 21. high scores indicate depressivness and anxiety.	week 0
Anxiety and depression by HADS	Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 14 items (7 each for depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety). The two summated scores of the summated scales HADS-A and HADS-D range between 0 and 21. high scores indicate depressivness and anxiety.	week 12
Anxiety and depression by HADS	Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 14 items (7 each for depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety). The two summated scores of the summated scales HADS-A and HADS-D range between 0 and 21. high scores indicate depressivness and anxiety.	week 36
Core Self-Evaluation by CSES	Core Self-Evaluation (CSES), 12 items on five-point Likert scale, 1 indicates disagreement and 5 indicates full agreement. High scores on the CSES represents a positive, confident, and self-efficacious person	week 0
Core Self-Evaluation by CSES	Core Self-Evaluation (CSES), 12 items on five-point Likert scale, 1 indicates disagreement and 5 indicates full agreement. High scores on the CSES represents a positive, confident, and self-efficacious person	week 12
Core Self-Evaluation by CSES	Core Self-Evaluation (CSES), 12 items on five-point Likert scale, 1 indicates disagreement and 5 indicates full agreement. High scores on the CSES represents a positive, confident, and self-efficacious person	week 36
Adverse events	all adverse events	week 12
Adverse events	all adverse events	week 36
Disease related Quality of Life by IBS-QOL	The IBS-QOL is a self-report quality-of-life measure specific to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that can be used to assess the impact of IBS and its treatment. 34 items with a 5-point response scale from 1 (=not at all) to 5 (= Extremely/a great deal); 34 items are summed and averaged for a total score and then transformed to a 0-100 scale for ease of interpretation with higher scores indicating better IBS specific quality of life.	week 0
Disease related Quality of Life by IBS-QOL	The IBS-QOL is a self-report quality-of-life measure specific to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that can be used to assess the impact of IBS and its treatment. 34 items with a 5-point response scale from 1 (=not at all) to 5 (= Extremely/a great deal); 34 items are summed and averaged for a total score and then transformed to a 0-100 scale for ease of interpretation with higher scores indicating better IBS specific quality of life.	week 12
Disease related Quality of Life by IBS-QOL	The IBS-QOL is a self-report quality-of-life measure specific to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that can be used to assess the impact of IBS and its treatment. 34 items with a 5-point response scale from 1 (=not at all) to 5 (= Extremely/a great deal); 34 items are summed and averaged for a total score and then transformed to a 0-100 scale for ease of interpretation with higher scores indicating better IBS specific quality of life.	week 36
General Quality of Life by EQ-5D-SL	The EQ-5D assesses health status in terms of five dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and discomfort, and anxiety and depression) and is considered a 'generic' questionnaire because these dimensions are not specific to any one patient group or health condition. 5-point response-scale from 1 (=not /no problems) to 5 (=unable to [mobility, self-care, usual activities]/extreme [pain/depression]/extremely [anxiety/depression]); result: 5-digit health status profile that represents that person's level of reported problems on the five EQ-5D health dimensions	week 0
General Quality of Life by EQ-5D-SL	The EQ-5D assesses health status in terms of five dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and discomfort, and anxiety and depression) and is considered a 'generic' questionnaire because these dimensions are not specific to any one patient group or health condition. 5-point response-scale from 1 (=not /no problems) to 5 (=unable to [mobility, self-care, usual activities]/extreme [pain/depression]/extremely [anxiety/depression]); result: 5-digit health status profile that represents that person's level of reported problems on the five EQ-5D health dimensions	week 12
General Quality of Life by EQ-5D-SL	The EQ-5D assesses health status in terms of five dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and discomfort, and anxiety and depression) and is considered a 'generic' questionnaire because these dimensions are not specific to any one patient group or health condition. 5-point response-scale from 1 (=not /no problems) to 5 (=unable to [mobility, self-care, usual activities]/extreme [pain/depression]/extremely [anxiety/depression]); result: 5-digit health status profile that represents that person's level of reported problems on the five EQ-5D health dimensions	week 36
Stress: Perceived Stress (PSS-10)	Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= never) to 5 (=very often), high stress is assumed from a total score of 20 points	week 0
Stress: Perceived Stress (PSS-10)	Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= never) to 5 (=very often), high stress is assumed from a total score of 20 points	week 12
Stress: Perceived Stress (PSS-10)	Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= never) to 5 (=very often), high stress is assumed from a total score of 20 points	week 36
Stress: Coping Strategies (CISS)	Short version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (24 items); Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= not at all) to 5 (= very much); sum score for each coping strategy; higher scores indicate a greater use of that particular coping strategy	week 0
Stress: Coping Strategies (CISS)	Short version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (24 items); Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= not at all) to 5 (= very much); sum score for each coping strategy; higher scores indicate a greater use of that particular coping strategy	week 12
Stress: Coping Strategies (CISS)	Short version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (24 items); Rating on a five-step scale from 1 (= not at all) to 5 (= very much); sum score for each coping strategy; higher scores indicate a greater use of that particular coping strategy	week 36
Utilization of medical services	Number of visits	week 0
Utilization of medical services	Number of visits	week 12
Utilization of medical services	Number of visits	week 36
Days of work disability	Number of days	week 0
Days of work disability	Number of days	week 12
Days of work disability	Number of days	week 36
Qualitative Interviews	Qualitative interviews for gaining further insights into patients experiences	week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Collaborators: Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jost Langhorst, Prof. Dr., University of Duisburg-Essen/Sozialstiftung Bamberg

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 10, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 10, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2023
• First Posted (Estimated): November 22, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 22, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: lifestyle modification; integrative medicine; Mind-Body medicine
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Disease; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Colonic Diseases, Functional; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Syndrome; Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: 23065

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No