대한대장항문학회

<b>Purpose:</b> Current study was designed to understand the personality and emotional composition of patients with chronic constipation. Specifically, the personality differences were evaluated in the ramified subgroups based on the physiologic<br>characteristics. <b>Methods:</b> Forty patients (31 females and 9 males) of a mean age of 48 (range, 16∼86) years underwent the MMPI among 310 patients with chronic constipation. MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) profiles were<br>utilized<br>for psychologic assessment for all patients prior to making diagnosis. Three validity scales of MMPI included L (Lie scale), F (Infrequency scale), K (Suppressor scale). Ten clinical scales included HS (hypochondriasis), DP (depression), HY<br>(hysteria),<br>PD (psychopathic deviant), MF (masculinity- feminity), PA (paranoia), PT (psychasthenia), SC (schizophrenia), MA (mania), SI (social introversion). On the basis of findings with use of anorectal physiologic studies, subgroups were categorized as<br>patients with rectocele (A<sub>1</sub>, n=22), patient without rectocele (A<sub>2</sub>, n=18), patients with nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome (B<sub>1</sub>, n=10), patients without nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome (B<sub>2</sub>, n=30). The<br>MMPI<br>profiles were compared between subgroup patients. <b>Results:</b> In overall patients, mean scores for scales HS, DP were elevated as compared with mean profiles (60∼65 and 45∼55, respectively). Male patients showed higher mean scores for scale<br>SI<br>than those of female patients (male vs. female; 63.5 vs. 53.9, P<0.05). A<sub>1</sub> group showed higher mean scores for PD scale than those of A<sub>2</sub> group (A<sub>1</sub> vs. A<sub>2</sub>; 57.4 vs. 49.8, P=0.01). B<sub>1</sub> group<br>showed<br>higher mean scores for DP scale than those of B2 group (B<sub>1</sub> vs. B<sub>2</sub>; 67.5 vs. 59.8, P<0.05). <b>Conclusions:</b> Present series provided that the MMPI is a valuable tool for assessing the psychologic functioning of patients<br>with<br>chronic constipation. It has revealed a different personality and emotional composition in the subgroup patients based on the anorectal physiologic studies. An aspect of social introversion, psychopathic deviant and depression should be<br>emphasized.<br>These findings can provide the fundamental information for guideline of future diagnostic evaluation and therapy in the patients with chronic constipation.<br>