The development of the irritable bowel syndrome-behavioral responses questionnaire

Predictors of treatment outcome after cognitive behavior therapy and antispasmodic treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome in primary care

“…It allows assessment of changes in specific coping behaviors used by patients with IBS and includes items related to avoidance behavior and toileting behavior. It was found to be both valid and reliable (Cronbach's α=.89) [14]. The primary outcome for the prediction analyses was the work and social adjustment (WASA) scale at 12 months of follow-up which measures ability to work, manage the home, and participate in social and private leisure activities and relationships.…”

Exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy for irritable bowel syndrome. A single-case experimental design across 13 subjects

“…IBS-Behavioral Responses Questionnaire (IBS BRQ; Reme et al, 2010) was used to assess IBS-related avoidance behavior. The BRQ is a 26-item, seven-point numeric self-rating scale of IBS avoidance behavior suitable for assessment of behavioral interventions (item-end points ranging from (1) 'never' to (7) 'always'; min-max = 7-182).…”

“…The scale has good psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency (α = .86), split-half reliability (r = .62-.80) and test-retest reliability (r = .81-.81, p = <.001), as well as face validity and criterion validity by means of correlations with relevant measures in the same domain, e.g., IBS symptoms, IBS-related cognitions, psychological distress and social adjustment (r = .37-.67, p < .001). Discriminant validity includes statistically significant between-group differences for IBS-clinical and control groups (Reme et al, 2010).…”

“…For example, specific anxiety toward IBS symptoms and associated situations (such as not being nearby a toilet), as well as behavioral attempts to avoid these stimuli have been shown to negatively affect symptom severity and quality of life in IBS (e.g., Labus, Mayer, Chang, Bolus, & Naliboff, 2007;Labus et al, 2004;Reme, Darnley, Kennedy, & Chalder, 2010). Also, it has been found that abdominal specific pain-related fear was a better predictor of disability than was actual abdominal pain intensity (Schrooten, Peters, & Vlaeyen, 2009).…”

Establishing how psychological therapies work: the importance of mediation analysis

“…One particular study examining cognitive and behavioural mechanisms in IBS found evidence supportive of this (Reme et al, 2011). The mediator variables tested included the Cognitive Scale for Functional Bowel Disorders (CS-FBD) (Toner et al, 1998) and the Behavioural Responses Questionnaire for IBS (IBS-BRQ) (Reme et al, 2010). The CS-FBD includes items relating to specific beliefs about functional bowel disorders such as ''It is embarrassing to keep going to the toilet''.…”