Associations between childhood behavior and current cognitive and emotional function in adults with irritable bowel syndrome—a cross sectional retrospective study

Background Childhood behavior may influence emotional regulation and cognitive processing capacities in adulthood. Associations between childhood behavior and present emotional and cognitive functions in adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are not yet established. Objective To explore relationships between retrospectively reported childhood behavior and current emotional and cognitive function in adults with IBS vs healthy controls (HCs). Methods Adults with IBS ( n = 57) and HCs ( n = 38) completed the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) to assess childhood behavior. Emotional functioning was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and cognitive functioning with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). WURS responses were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to identify underlying factors, which were then examined for associations with current emotional and cognitive functioning. Results The WURS PCA yielded four factors: (1) Behavioral Self-Regulation and Social Functioning (2) Emotional Reactivity and Temperament, (3) Psychological Vulnerability and Distress, and (4) Academic/Cognitive Challenges. IBS patients scored significantly higher than healthy controls on Factors 3 and 4. Significant correlations were found between Factor 3 and HADS in the HC group, and between Factor 4 and RBANS in the IBS group. Conclusions This study demonstrates that IBS patients report more childhood psychological vulnerability and academic/cognitive challenges than controls, and that these retrospectively reported behaviors show distinct associations with adult cognitive functioning. The findings suggest that developmental trajectories, such as neurocognitive traits and early stress-related mechanisms, contribute to the heterogeneity of IBS. Trial registration The project is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT04296552), first submitted 2020.03.04. Graphical Abstract This study investigates associations between childhood behavior and emotional and cognitive function in adults with IBS. Childhood psychological vulnerability (WURS Factor 3) and academic/cognitive challenges (WURS Factor 4) were notably higher in IBS patients than in healthy controls and demonstrated distinct associations with adult cognitive function (Fullscale RBANS score). Abbreviations: IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, WURS: Wender Utah Rating Scale, RBANS: Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Function.