Evaluating a mobile-enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy program for university students with irritable bowel syndrome

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition prevalent in university students. It significantly affects quality of life (QOL) and requires effective interventions to appropriately manage its symptoms in this population. Objectives: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program using a mobile application to alleviate symptoms and enhance the QOL of university students with IBS. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 58 participants from two universities in South Korea, who were divided into three groups: the CBT only group, the CBT with application group, and the control group that received a single educational session. An integrated eight-session CBT program and a mobile application for IBS self-management were developed and implemented. Outcomes, including the IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), academic stress, depression, IBS-QOL, and heart rate variability, were evaluated at baseline, post-intervention, and at the 16-week follow-up. Results: Significant interactions between group and time were observed for IBS-SSS (Wald χ2 = 13.49, p = 0.009). Although the short-term effects for IBS-SSS were greater in the CBT group than in the control group, the long-term effects for IBS-SSS at 16 weeks were more sustained in the CBT with application group. Both the CBT and CBT with application groups demonstrated improvements in academic stress, depression, and QOL, but not in heart rate variability, whereas the control group demonstrated limited changes. Conclusions: The integrated CBT program, with or without a mobile application, effectively reduced the severity of IBS symptoms, depression, and academic stress among university students. This combined approach may provide long-term benefits for symptom management and psychosocial well-being. Further research is warranted to optimize the use of mobile device applications for CBT delivery.