Objectives: The objective of the study was to seek connections between mentalbody representations (body image, body schema and body sense) and parents' attitudes perceived retrospectively in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
Methods: 184 adults aged 18 to 64 participated in the study, including patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS; N=63), patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; N=60) and healthy respondents (N=61). Respondents took the Batteryof Tests of the Body Self Representations (B. Mirucka) and the Childhood Questionnaire (J. Hardt, U.T. Egle and A. Engfer).
Results: (1) IBS patients are characterized by lower representations of the body schema, body image and body sense compared to healthy people as well as lower organized body schema and body sense compared to IBD patients. (2) IBS patients in a similar way to IBS patients and healthy people describe the attitude of their mothers during childhood. In comparison to healthy people, IBS patients experience their fathers as significantly less loving. (3) In the group of IBS patients, there are significant relationships between the body sense and the retrospectively perceived attitude of love and control from both mothers and fathers.
Conclusions: IBS patients are characterized by lower organization of mental body representation than healthy people and IBD patients. In the psychosocial functioning of IBS patients, the representation of body sense is particularly important. The peculiarity of the IBS patients'childhood relationship with their parents seems to be significant and requires further research.
Keywords: body image; irritable bowel syndrome; parental attitudes.