The Impact of Exam-Related Anxiety on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Prevalence in Pharmacy Students
Samer Shukur Mohammed, Maha Ali Saleh, Rawnaq Jamal Alkhafaji, Ishraq Khadim AbbasAbstract
To study the prevalence, subtypes, and risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among pharmacy students in Baghdad, Iraq, and to evaluate the correlation between exam-related stress and IBS incidence.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 650 randomly selected pharmacy students, aged 19 to 23 years, from several pharmacy colleges in Baghdad, between September 2024 and January 2025. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire addressing demographics, lifestyle characteristics, familial history, Rome IV diagnostic criteria for IBS, and anxiety in response to academic pressure. Statistical analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics software and the Chi-squared test.
From the total (n = 650), IBS was diagnosed in 64%, with a markedly higher frequency in females (80%) than in males (20%). The most prevalent subtype was unclassified (53.8%), followed by diarrhea (IBS-D: 13%) predominance, and constipation predominance (IBS-C: 9%). Family history of IBS (p = 0.0001) and diminished sleep duration (< 8 hours) were strongly correlated with IBS, although food hypersensitivity and chronic medication usage were not. Exam-related anxiety, particularly during final examinations, was significantly correlated with an increased frequency of IBS (p = 0.000).
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is widespread among pharmacy students in Baghdad, especially among females and individuals with a familial predisposition. Stress produced by examinations and insufficient sleep were significant exacerbating factors.