Abstract Background Fatigue is one of the most burdensome and under-recognised symptoms in Crohn’s disease (CD), often persisting even in remission and profoundly affecting physical, psychological, and social functioning (Radford et al., 2021; Regueiro et al., 2023). As fatigue is only partially explained by disease activity, psychological resources such as resilience may play a crucial protective role . Resilience, defined as the ability to adapt and recover from adversity, may help mitigate the negative impact of chronic illness on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (Jin et al., 2023). This study aimed to explore the relationships between fatigue, resilience, and HRQoL in adults living with CD. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 50 adults with a confirmed diagnosis of CD. Three validated instruments were used: WHOQOL-BREF to assess HRQoL, the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fatigue Scale (IBD-F) to measure fatigue, and the Resilience Scale (RS-14) to evaluate psychological resilience. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric correlations (Spearman’s rho) were performed to explore associations between variables. Results Fatigue showed a strong negative correlation with both HRQoL and resilience. Patients reporting higher levels of fatigue experienced lower satisfaction with life, poorer psychological and social functioning, and greater difficulties in coping with daily stressors. Conversely, higher resilience scores were positively associated with HRQoL, suggesting that resilience may buffer the adverse effects of fatigue. Conclusion Fatigue is a key determinant of reduced QoL in CD, while resilience appears to be an important adaptive resource supporting psychological well-being and daily functioning. Incorporating resilience-building interventions and psychosocial assessment into routine nursing practice could enhance patient well-being and complement medical treatment in IBD care. References: Jin, Y., Bhattarai, M., Kuo, W. C., & Bratzke, L. C. (2023). Relationship between resilience and self-care in people with chronic conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(9-10), 2041-2055. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16258 Radford, S. J., McGing, J., Czuber-Dochan, W., & Moran, G. (2021). Systematic review: the impact of inflammatory bowel disease-related fatigue on health-related quality of life. Frontline gastroenterology, 12(1), 11-21. 10.1136/flgastro-2019-101355 Regueiro, M., Hunter, T., Lukanova, R., Shan, M., Wild, R., Knight, H., Bannikoppa, P., & Naegeli, A. N. (2023). Burden of fatigue among patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease: results from a global survey of patients and gastroenterologists. Advances in therapy, 40(2), 474-488. 10.1007/s12325-022-02364-2 Conflict of interest: Rudnik, Agata: No conflict of interest Biernacka, Eliza: None Piotrowicz, Grażyna: No conflict of interest Klufczynska, Agnieszka: No conflict of interest Piotrowicz, Adam: No conflict of interest Piotrowicz, Magdalena: No conflict of interest Czuber-Dochan, Wladyslawa: Grant: National Institute of Health Research, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Crohn’s and Colitis UK Personal Fees: Dr Falk Pharma UK and PharmaCosmos
Rudnik et al. (Thu,) studied this question.