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Association of Gastrointestinal Symptoms with Depression and Anxiety in Recruits: A Validation Cross-Sectional Study

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Abstract

Introduction

Gastrointestinal symptoms as well as depression and anxiety can negatively affect the effectiveness of military training and combat in general. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in recruits and further validate their associations with depression and anxiety.

Methods

A self-report questionnaire was sent to the recruits in an army in April 2022, which primarily included the Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) for the assessment of gastrointestinal symptoms, the Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) for stool consistency and shape, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) for anxiety. Correlation of gastrointestinal symptoms with depression and anxiety was evaluated.

Results

Overall, 467 recruits were included. Their median age was 21.0 years old (range: 18.0–24.0), and 98.1% of them were male. The proportion of gastrointestinal symptoms, abnormal stools, depression, and anxiety was 69.2% (n = 323), 11.3% (n = 53), 17.6% (n = 82), and 12.2% (n = 57), respectively. The recruits with gastrointestinal symptoms evaluated by GSRS had significantly higher prevalence of depression (P < 0.001) and anxiety (P < 0.001) than those without. GSRS score positively correlated with PHQ-9 (rs = 0.440, P < 0.001) and GAD-7 score (rs = 0.386, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Gastrointestinal symptoms are very common in recruits, and positively correlate with depression and anxiety.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the researchers and participants who have participated in this study.

Funding

No funding or sponsorship was received for this study or publication of this article.

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Author notes

  1. Tingwei Liu, Jun Liu, Shaoze Ma and Xueying Wang have shared Co-first authorship.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, No. 83 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110840, Liaoning Province, China

    Tingwei Liu, Shaoze Ma, Xueying Wang, **aozhong Guo & **ngshun Qi

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Liaoning Electric Center Hospital, Shenyang, China

    Tingwei Liu

  3. Military Joint Teaching and Research Office, The 32684 Troop of Chinese PLA, Shenyang, China

    Jun Liu

Authors
  1. Tingwei Liu
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  2. Jun Liu
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  3. Shaoze Ma
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  4. Xueying Wang
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  5. **aozhong Guo
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  6. **ngshun Qi
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Contributions

Conception and design: Tingwei Liu, **ngshun Qi, and Jun Liu; Administrative support: **ngshun Qi; Provision of study materials or patients: Jun Liu; Collection and assembly of data: Tingwei Liu and Jun Liu; Data analysis and interpretation: Tingwei Liu, Shaoze Ma, Xueying Wang, and **ngshun Qi; Manuscript writing: All authors; Final approval of manuscript: All authors. All authors have made an intellectual contribution to the manuscript and approved the submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to **ngshun Qi.

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Conflict of Interest

Tingwei Liu, Jun Liu, Shaoze Ma, Xueying Wang and **aozhong Guo. **ngshun Qi is an editorial board member of the journal Advances in Therapy. **ngshun Qi was not involved in the selection of peer reviewers for the manuscript nor any of the subsequent editorial decisions.

Ethical Approval

This is a cross-sectional study conducted based on the data from a prospective study, which had been approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command with an ethical approval number [Y (2022) 014].

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Liu, T., Liu, J., Ma, S. et al. Association of Gastrointestinal Symptoms with Depression and Anxiety in Recruits: A Validation Cross-Sectional Study. Adv Ther (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-024-02911-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-024-02911-z

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