The Persecutory Character of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Grounded Theory Analysis of the Lived Experience of IBS Sufferers

The primary aim of this study was to generate detailed information on the lived experience of people who suffer with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A secondary aim was to formulate a theory of how sufferers cope with IBS. The grounded theory method of Charmaz (2006) was used to analyse the interview data. The analysis indicates that shame around symptoms is a core factor for IBS sufferers, which impacts on quality of life, and has implications for engagement with medical treatment. A model of circular, reciprocal transactions between a felt sense of shame, and the experience of dismissive attitudes, stigma and taboo is proposed, in which these transactions both exacerbate and perpetuate the negative impact of IBS symptoms. Sufferers were found to engage in a long, difficult and lonely struggle for relief from their symptoms, which involved varying degrees of engagement with, and withdrawal from, medical professionals. Positive encounters with medical professionals led to better self-management of the illness; negative encounters exacerbated sufferers' existing tendency to self-management strategies characterised by withdrawal and isolation. IBS sufferers were found to personify their illness, and it is proposed that this is a form of psychological defense mechanism to which sufferers unconsciously resort, in an attempt to gain control over the illness.