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Final Examination Stress and Bowel Symptoms

17. září 2026 aktualizováno: Demet Öztürk, Lokman Hekim University

The Effect of Final Examination Stress on Bowel Symptoms in University Students

This prospective observational study aims to investigate the association between final examination stress and bowel symptoms in university students. Participants will be evaluated during the final examination period, which represents a naturally occurring period of increased academic stress. Bowel-related symptoms, including constipation-related complaints, defecation-related pain, stool characteristics, and urgency, will be assessed. Participants will also complete a 7-day diary to record bowel characteristics and selected lifestyle factors, including sleep duration, daily step count, and fluid intake. These factors will be examined as potential variables associated with bowel symptoms during the examination period.

Přehled studie

Postavení

Zatím nenabíráme

Podmínky

Intervence / Léčba

Detailní popis

University students may experience increased psychological stress during final examination periods due to academic workload, performance expectations, and time pressure. Stress may influence gastrointestinal function through alterations in the brain-gut axis, autonomic nervous system activity, gastrointestinal motility, and visceral sensitivity. Examination periods may also be accompanied by changes in daily lifestyle behaviors, such as sleep duration, physical activity, and fluid intake, which may further influence bowel function.

This prospective, observational, analytical study is designed to evaluate bowel symptoms among university students during the final examination period. Participants will complete a sociodemographic and clinical information form and will be assessed for constipation-related symptoms using Rome IV-based questions. Additional bowel-related characteristics, including pain during defecation, pain intensity and location, urgency to defecate, and stool type, will be recorded.

Participants will also complete a 7-day follow-up diary during the final examination period. The diary will include daily records of defecation-related symptoms and stool characteristics as well as daily fluid intake, step count, and sleep duration. Daily step count and sleep duration will be considered potential lifestyle-related factors associated with bowel symptoms rather than primary outcomes.

The primary objective of the study is to investigate bowel symptoms during a period of final examination stress in university students. Secondary objectives are to examine the relationships between bowel symptoms and selected lifestyle-related factors, particularly sleep duration, physical activity, and fluid intake. No therapeutic, pharmacological, exercise-based, or invasive intervention will be administered as part of the study.

Typ studie

Pozorovací

Zápis (Odhadovaný)

100

Kritéria účasti

Výzkumníci hledají lidi, kteří odpovídají určitému popisu, kterému se říká kritéria způsobilosti. Některé příklady těchto kritérií jsou celkový zdravotní stav osoby nebo předchozí léčba.

Kritéria způsobilosti

Věk způsobilý ke studiu

18 let a starší (Dospělý, Starší dospělý)

Přijímá zdravé dobrovolníky

Ano

Pohlaví způsobilá ke studiu

Všechno

Metoda odběru vzorků

Vzorek nepravděpodobnosti

Studijní populace

The study population will consist of undergraduate university students aged 18 years or older who are enrolled in courses with final examinations during the study period. Eligible students who meet the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and voluntarily agree to participate will be included in the study.

Participants will be evaluated during the final examination period, which represents a naturally occurring period of academic stress. During this period, bowel-related symptoms and selected lifestyle factors, including sleep duration, daily step count, and water intake, will be assessed. Participants will also complete a 7-day follow-up diary to record daily bowel characteristics and related symptoms.

Popis

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being 18 years of age or older
  • Being an undergraduate university student
  • Being enrolled in courses with final examinations during the study period
  • Being able to complete the study assessments and the 7-day follow-up diary during the final examination period
  • Being able to read and understand Turkish
  • Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study and providing informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a diagnosed organic gastrointestinal disease that may substantially affect bowel function, such as inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, or gastrointestinal malignancy
  • Having a history of major gastrointestinal or pelvic surgery that may affect bowel function
  • Regular use of medications that directly affect bowel motility, such as laxatives or antidiarrheal medications
  • Having an acute gastrointestinal infection, including acute diarrhea or vomiting, during the assessment period
  • Failing to adequately complete the study assessments or the 7-day follow-up diary

Studijní plán

Tato část poskytuje podrobnosti o studijním plánu, včetně toho, jak je studie navržena a co studie měří.

Jak je studie koncipována?

Detaily designu

  • Observační modely: OTHER
  • Časové perspektivy: PROSPECTIVE

Kohorty a intervence

Skupina / kohorta
Intervence / Léčba
University Students During the Final Examination Period

University students who meet the eligibility criteria and participate in the study during the final examination period will constitute a single observational cohort. Participants will undergo assessment of bowel symptoms and related lifestyle factors during the study period. No allocation or randomization will be performed.

Participants will complete assessments of bowel symptoms and a 7-day diary during the final examination period. The diary will include daily records of bowel-related symptoms, stool characteristics, fluid intake, step count, and sleep duration. No treatment, medication, exercise program, or other therapeutic intervention will be administered.

Co je měření studie?

Primární výstupní opatření

Měření výsledku
Popis opatření
Časové okno
Constipation-Related Bowel Symptoms
Časové okno: Baseline

Constipation-related bowel symptoms will be assessed using Rome IV-based questions. The assessment (Rome IV criterias) will include defecation frequency, painful or difficult defecation, large-diameter stools, stool withholding behaviors, sensation of a large fecal mass in the rectum, fecal incontinence, and duration of symptoms.

Baseline

Sekundární výstupní opatření

Měření výsledku
Popis opatření
Časové okno
Defecation-Related Pain
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Participants will record the presence or absence of pain during defecation each day. When pain is present, its location (abdominal or anal region) and intensity will also be recorded. Pain intensity will be rated on a numerical scale ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period
Defecation Urgency
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Participants will record the severity of urgency to defecate each day as mild, moderate, or severe.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period
Stool Type
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Participants will record their daily stool type according to the stool form chart provided in the study diary.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period
Daily Step Count
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Daily step count will be recorded using data obtained from participants' personal smartphones, smartwatches, or other step-counting devices. The mean daily step count across the 7-day monitoring period will also be calculated and evaluated as a lifestyle-related factor potentially associated with bowel symptoms.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period
Sleep Duration
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Participants will record the total duration of sleep for each day in hours. The mean daily sleep duration across the 7-day monitoring period will be calculated and evaluated as a potential factor associated with bowel symptoms.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period
Daily Water Intake
Časové okno: Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Participants will record their total daily water intake in milliliters. The mean daily water intake across the 7-day monitoring period will be calculated and examined in relation to bowel symptoms.

Daily for 7 consecutive days during the final examination period

Spolupracovníci a vyšetřovatelé

Zde najdete lidi a organizace zapojené do této studie.

Sponzor

Termíny studijních záznamů

Tato data sledují průběh záznamů studie a předkládání souhrnných výsledků na ClinicalTrials.gov. Záznamy ze studií a hlášené výsledky jsou před zveřejněním na veřejné webové stránce přezkoumány Národní lékařskou knihovnou (NLM), aby se ujistily, že splňují specifické standardy kontroly kvality.

Hlavní termíny studia

Začátek studia (Odhadovaný)

1. listopadu 2026

Primární dokončení (Odhadovaný)

1. prosince 2026

Dokončení studie (Odhadovaný)

30. prosince 2026

Termíny zápisu do studia

První předloženo

17. září 2026

První předloženo, které splnilo kritéria kontroly kvality

17. září 2026

První zveřejněno (Aktuální)

24. září 2026

Aktualizace studijních záznamů

Poslední zveřejněná aktualizace (Aktuální)

24. září 2026

Odeslaná poslední aktualizace, která splnila kritéria kontroly kvality

17. září 2026

Naposledy ověřeno

1. září 2026

Více informací

Termíny související s touto studií

Další identifikační čísla studie

  • 2026-FG

Informace o lécích a zařízeních, studijní dokumenty

Studuje lékový produkt regulovaný americkým FDA

Ne

Studuje produkt zařízení regulovaný americkým úřadem FDA

Ne

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