Resilience and Self-Care in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicentre Cross-Sectional Study in Outpatient Settings

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), significantly affects patients' quality of life. Resilience and self-care are vital for disease management, yet their relationship with IBD remains underexplored. This study investigates how self-care behaviours influence resilience in patients with IBD, taking into account sociodemographic and clinical factors. <b>Methods</b>: This was a multicentre observational study. Data were collected during routine outpatient visits between April and June 2024. Participants (≥18 years) with an IBD diagnosis for at least 12 months were recruited. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory (SC-CII), and sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires. Disease activity was assessed using the Mayo Score (UC) and the Harvey-Bradshaw Index (CD). Descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses explored variable relationships. This study was conducted as part of the N-ECCO Research Grant initiative. <b>Results</b>: A total of 401 participants (CD: 196, UC: 205) were enrolled, with equal gender distribution (50.1% male). The descriptive analysis of self-care levels showed a mean score of 72.6 (<i>SD</i> = 12.5) for self-care maintenance, 81.0 (<i>SD</i> = 18.2) for self-care monitoring, and 70.5 (<i>SD</i> = 18.4) for self-care management. The UC patients had higher self-care management scores than the CD patients (<i>p</i> = 0.002). The median resilience score was 45, and self-care management positively predicted resilience (<i>β</i> = 0.041, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Disease severity negatively affected resilience and self-care, particularly in severe cases (<i>β</i> = -8.334, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The females reported higher resilience and self-care monitoring scores than the men. <b>Conclusions</b>: Resilience and self-care are interrelated and crucial in IBD management. Enhancing resilience through personalised nursing interventions and integrating psychological and educational support may improve self-care and clinical outcomes.