Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for IBD Patients

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients commonly suffer from disturbed psychosocial functioning and poor quality of life compared to other chronic disease patients. Clinicians are becoming growingly aware that addressing patients' psychological difficulties may improve disease management, however, there is not adequate evidence regarding the effect of psychotherapeutic interventions on psychosocial functioning and disease-related clinical and laboratory parameters. The aim of the present study is the evaluation of the effects of a targeted, cognitive behavioral psychotherapeutic intervention on symptom severity, levels of psychological distress and quality of life and inflammation and disease activity indices in IBD patients. An additional aim is the detection of psychological and biomedical parameters which may be associated with these effects.