Assessing the influence of gastrointestinal symptoms in females with emetophobia : the mere thought of my gut makes me want to vomit

Abstract

The study sought to explore the influence of gastrointestinal symptoms in female respondents with emetophobia disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia and obsessive compulsive disorder. The research assessed a sample of sixty respondents which formed part of three groups which were recruited from clinical and online support groups. The age ranged from twenty to forty-five years. Non-probability quota sampling was employed. A non-experimental research design was implemented in order to make comparisons between these groups’ association of gastrointestinal symptoms and the occurrence of possible vomiting. The differential research strategy determined whether a statistically significant difference existed. The groups were assessed on the Gastrointestinal Symptom Score (2005) and the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity Index (2004). The research aimed to determine whether empirical support exists for the Cognitive Behavioural Model of Emetophobia by Boschen (2007).