1. Anxiety may be a risk factor for experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms during endurance races: An observational study.
- Author
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Wilson PB, Russell H, and Pugh J
- Subjects
- Abdominal Pain psychology, Adult, Confidence Intervals, Defecation, Female, Flatulence psychology, Gastroesophageal Reflux psychology, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Muscle Cramp psychology, Nausea psychology, Odds Ratio, Satiation, Symptom Assessment, Anxiety psychology, Gastrointestinal Diseases psychology, Physical Endurance, Running psychology, Stress, Psychological psychology
- Abstract
Scarce research has examined the links between stress, anxiety, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during competition, despite that they are positively correlated in the general population. A total of 186 endurance athletes completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)-14, Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI)-3, and State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) before races. Afterwards, they reported the severity of in-race GI symptoms. Associations between high levels of stress and anxiety (defined as the top tertile) and GI distress (≥3 on a 0-10 scale) were examined using logistic regression. Athletes with high PSS-14 scores did not have greater odds of GI symptoms, except nausea (odds ratio [OR] = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-4.78). High scores on the STICSA-trait were associated with nausea (OR = 3.43, 95% CI 1.57-7.50) and regurgitation/reflux (OR = 3.31, 95% CI 1.26-8.73). Among a sub-sample of 125 participants that completed STICSA-state questionnaires, higher anxiety was associated with nausea (OR = 5.57, 95% CI 1.96-15.83), regurgitation/reflux (OR = 3.75, 95% CI 1.17-12.00), fullness (OR = 2.98, 95% CI 1.05-8.49), and cramping (OR = 3.99, 95% CI 1.36-11.68). The ORs remained relatively stable after adjusting for age, gender, experience, body mass index, type of race, and race duration. ASI-3 scores were not associated with symptoms. Individuals with higher levels of anxiety, especially on the morning of a race, may be prone GI distress, particularly nausea, regurgitation/reflux, and cramping.
- Published
- 2021
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