Patients with gastrointestinal diseases have been shown to report greater stress, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive characteristics. The aim of our study is to investigate personality characteristics and general distress of adult patients suffering from common coloproctological conditions. We conducted a retrospective observational study including patients aged 18 years or older, with diagnosis of haemorrhoidal disease (HD group) or anal fissure (AF group). The final sample was composed of 64 participants, who were asked to complete a battery of questionnaires. They were compared with a control group of healthy volunteers. In terms of general distress, HD group scored higher than both the CG and AF groups. The two proctological groups had higher scores in neuroticism/emotional lability compared to the CG group. In the MOCQ-R scale (obsessive-compulsive tendency), HD group had significantly higher scores compared to the CG group in the total score (p < 0.01,) and also scored higher in the doubting/ruminating subscale compared to the AF group. We support the importance of taking a multidisciplinary perspective and incorporating psychometric tools to assess the psychological and personality dimensions of patients into proctological clinical practice. The correct early evaluation and management of these conditions may result in an improvement in patients' quality of life and better response to treatment.
Keywords: Anal fissure; Anxiety; Depression; Haemorrhoidal disease; Psychological assessment; Psychological distress.
© 2023. Italian Society of Surgery (SIC).