--- title: How common is irritable bowel syndrome in Korean teenage girls and what causes it? description: One in four Korean teenage girls has IBS. Stress, anxiety, and depression were strongly linked to IBS, with depression showing the strongest connection. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-and-risk-factors-of-irritable-bowel-syndrome-in-korean-adolescent-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common is irritable bowel syndrome in Korean teenage girls and what causes it? Case-control study, 2009 # How common is irritable bowel syndrome in Korean teenage girls and what causes it? One in four Korean teenage girls has IBS. Stress, anxiety, and depression were strongly linked to IBS, with depression showing the strongest connection. Moderate study design 405 teenage girls from 5 academic high schools in Korea ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 405 teenage girls from 5 academic high schools in Korea, conducted August-September 2007. Researchers used a questionnaire to diagnose IBS and asked about diet, lifestyle, stress, anxiety, depression, and PMS. ## What they found 25.7% of the girls had IBS, higher than rates reported in Western countries. Higher stress, anxiety, and depression were each independently linked to increased IBS. Stress increased IBS odds by 2.25 times, anxiety by 4.27 times, and depression by 10.87 times. ## What it means for you Mental health, especially depression, is strongly linked to IBS in teenage girls. IBS is more common in Korea than the West. Main limitations: self-reported answers, cross-sectional design (cannot prove cause and effect), and only Korean girls. 405 Number of girls studied 25.7% Prevalence of IBS 10.87 Depression odds ratio for IBS ## About the study Original title Prevalence and risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome in Korean adolescent girls: a school-based study Authors Son YJ, Jun EY, Park JH Journal International journal of nursing studies Year 2009 Study design Case-control study Participants 405 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.07.006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.07.006) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[IBS and gut symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ibs-gi/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Survey study, 2020 Can teaching about yoga techniques improve girls' knowledge about managing PMS? Survey study, 2020 Do women with IBS and period problems have worse psychological symptoms? Case report, 1998 Does how women manage anger affect how bad their PMS gets? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗