Extending the common sense model to explore symptom severity, psychosocial processes, and quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a relapsing-remitting condition of the gastrointestinal tract that involves chronic symptoms (e.g., diarrhoea, fatigue, abdominal pain) and is associated with psychological distress and poor quality of life. This research extended the Common Sense Model (CSM) to explore psychosocial processes (i.e., illness perceptions, visceral sensitivity, acceptance, fear of COVID-19, coping styles) underpinning relationships between IBD symptoms, psychological distress, and quality of life. In addition to providing an objective and comprehensive understanding of the CSM-based research involving IBD cohorts, this research lent pivotal support for the CSM's efficacy to evaluate additional IBD-relevant psychosocial processes influencing illness adaption.