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Review
. 2025 Jun;22(3):185-195.
doi: 10.36131/cnfioritieditore20250302.

Observing the Influence of Shame and Guilt in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Marco Cannavò  1 , Rocco Spagnuolo  1 , Janine Gullo  1 , Nadia Barberis  1
Affiliations
Review

Observing the Influence of Shame and Guilt in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Marco Cannavò et al. Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal condition that significantly impacts individuals' psychosocial functioning. Accumulating evidence from psychosomatic research shows how self-conscious emotions may influence various levels of adaptation to the condition. The current systematic review aims to encompass studies that have already assessed the role of Shame and Guilt in individuals with IBD.

Method: Academic databases were screened to collect studies that met the criteria coded by the authors. 15 studies met the inclusion criteria, and their quality was assessed. Data were categorized as follows: (1) general description of methodology and measures; (2) characteristics of the study samples; (3) shame and guilt in individuals with IBD.

Results: Findings from the current systematic review emphasize that Shame and Guilt are prevalent among individuals suffering from IBD and that they may contribute to the development of maladaptive behavioral and cognitive patterns.

Conclusions: Clinical interventions should assess the presence of these self-conscious emotions and target them to improve clinical efficacy.

Keywords: crohn’s disease; guilt; inflammatory bowel disease; shame; ulcerative colitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram in line with PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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