Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Its Demographic, Psychological, and Lifestyle Correlates Among Medical Students of Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Aim This study set out to determine the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among medical students in Pakistan and look at how it related to lifestyle variables, anxiety, depression, and demography. The study's goal was to determine the main causes of IBS in this population, especially in light of medical students' demanding academic schedules and psychological stress. Methods From December 2024 to April 2025, 256 medical students enrolled in their first through fifth years participated in a cross-sectional study. Medical students from different medical institutions across the four main provinces of Pakistan were included in the study for generalizability. We used a non-randomized convenience sampling technique for the collection of data. Data on demographics, lifestyle, and clinical conditions were gathered by distributing a printed questionnaire survey. The Rome III criteria were used to diagnose IBS. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) were used to measure the participants' levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data in May 2025, and chi-square tests were used to find significant associations as variables were categorical. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value of less than 0.05. Results A total of 256 medical students participated in the study, comprising 208 females (81.3%) and 48 males (18.8%). The mean age of participants was 21.9 ± 1.5 years. IBS was present in 43.75% of the study population overall. There were statistically significant associations between IBS and anxiety levels (p < 0.001), depression levels (p = 0.004), monthly income (p = 0.018), and family history of IBS (p = 0.001). There were no significant associations found between living conditions (p=0.43 ), junk food consumption (p=0.3), physical activity (p=0.1), sleep duration (p=0.9), gender (p=0.3), or BMI (p=0.5). Conclusion We found that IBS was very Prevalent among Pakistani medical students, and there were notable associations of IBS with anxiety, depression, family history, and socioeconomic level. To improve students' psychological and gastrointestinal health, our findings emphasize the necessity of early mental health interventions and awareness campaigns focused on stress management and lifestyle changes.