Abstract
This study looks at constipation, which tends to appear as a physical symptom in daily life, among various health problems caused by turbulent eating habits and changes in social environment. In addition to these relationships between constipation and lifestyle, this study focused on the relationship between constipation and mental stress. Although there are few studies on how mental stress can cause constipation, it can be said that stress has some effect on the state of defecation. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the state of defecation, lifestyle, and stress among female college students. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 294 female college students used as subjects. Regarding lifestyle, it was revealed that the constipation group tended to lack sleep in comparison to the good condition group, and many in the constipation group tended to skip breakfast in comparison to the good condition group. It was also found that the constipation group tended to drink alcohol more frequently than the good condition group. There was no difference in the exercise category between the two groups. Regarding the relationship between the state of defecation and stress, it was found that the constipation group had a higher relationship than the good condition group in terms of both interpersonal relationships and achievement items when it came to negative life events. Furthermore, regarding positive life events, both interpersonal and achievement items were higher in the good condition group. It is considered that interpersonal relationships likely affect the state of defecation among female college students.
Highlights
According to a survey on defecation habits and constipation, constipation is more common among women, especially young women [1]
While the balance between sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves is important for normal bowel movements, long-term exposure to mental stress causes the parasympathetic nerves to become hypertonic, promoting intestinal peristalsis and making defecation difficult, a state known as spastic constipation, which is a type of constipation with irritable bowel syndrome
Comparing the average and standard deviation, respectively, the results indicated that the constipation group was higher in terms of negative life events than the good condition group, while the constipation group was higher in terms of positive life events
Summary
According to a survey on defecation habits and constipation, constipation is more common among women, especially young women [1]. While the balance between sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves is important for normal bowel movements, long-term exposure to mental stress causes the parasympathetic nerves to become hypertonic, promoting intestinal peristalsis and making defecation difficult, a state known as spastic constipation, which is a type of constipation with irritable bowel syndrome. It is European Journal of Preventive Medicine 2021; 9(2): 51-57 believed that spastic constipation indicates a strong desire for defecation despite it being difficult to defecate, with intermittent abdominal pain and abdominal bloating, making the stool thin like rabbit feces and leaving a strong feeling of residual stool [11]. This study uses two stress scale items, "interpersonal relationships" and "achievement," as psychological factors
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