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. 2025 Jan 9;25(1):114.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-21205-1.

Deciphering the psychological tapestry of FGIDs: unveiling the impact of negative affect, rumination, and expression suppression

Xin-Xin Ma #  1 , Zheng-Hua Xiao #  2 , Wei Chen  3 , Shou-Ying Zhao  4   5
Affiliations

Deciphering the psychological tapestry of FGIDs: unveiling the impact of negative affect, rumination, and expression suppression

Xin-Xin Ma et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) constitute a group of psychosomatic diseases characterized primarily by disruptions in the functioning of the digestive system, profoundly impacting the lives of affected individuals.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the influence of negative affect (NA) on the gastrointestinal symptoms of FGID patients, as well as the mediating role of rumination and the regulatory effects of expression suppression (ES) as an emotional regulation strategy.

Methods: A survey was conducted on 1000 patients (403M, 597F) with gastrointestinal disorders at a tertiary hospital using the negative affect subscale from the DS-14 (Type D Personality Scale), the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), the Rumination Response Scale (RRS), and the expression suppression subscale from the Gross-John Emotion Regulation Strategy.

Results: Negative affect positively predicts FGIDs, with rumination mediating the relationship between NA and FGIDs. The emotional regulation strategy of expression suppression moderates the positive relationship between NA and rumination and the mediating effect of rumination.

Conclusion: NA exacerbates symptoms of FGIDs in individuals, and rumination further amplifies this effect, with the mediating influence evident across both high and low ES emotion regulation strategy groups.

Keywords: Expression Suppression; Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders; Negative Affect; Rumination; Type D Personality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with approval number EC2023008. Our research has been communicated to the participants, and the study was conducted with their informed consent. At every research stage, we have rigorously adhered to the ethical guidelines and regulations prescribed by the institution. During the data analysis phase, stringent measures were implemented to protection privacy. Consent for publication: All authors have provided consent for the publication of the research findings. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Theoretical framework illustrating the mediating effect of rumination in the relationship between NA and FGIDs, moderated by ES
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The moderating effect of ES on the relationship between NA and rumination. Higher levels of ES (solid line) show a stronger positive relationship between NA and rumination (β = 0.693, 95% CI = [0.632, 0.7]), while lower levels of ES (dotted line) show a weaker but still significant relationship (β = 0.507, 95% CI = [0.439, 0.575])
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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