Latent Classification and Psychological Associations with Quality of Life in Chronic Gastrointestinal Disease Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective To explore the latent classification of patients with chronic gastrointestinal diseases using the Patient reported outcomes instrument for chronic gastrointestinal diseases (PRO) scale, and analyze the correlations between psychological status and quality of life. Methods PRO scale, SAS/SDS scores were collected from chronic gastrointestinal disease patients. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to determine the optimal number of latent classes. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) assessed correlations between symptom groups, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) analyzed the relationship between anxiety, depression, and symptom clusters. Results A total of 290 valid questionnaires were collected. Based on LCA, PRO scores were divided into three latent classes: 33.79%, 37.93%, and 28.28%. Univariate analysis showed that education level significantly affected classification (p = 0.029). SEM analysis showed that all six symptom clusters significantly impacted latent classes, with dyspepsia (regression coefficient = 0.71) having the most significant effect; Strong positive correlations were observed between general symptoms and indigestion (r = 0.647) and reflux (r = 0.538). ANN showed that anxiety and depression influenced symptom clusters, especially dyspepsia. Conclusion This study reveals the complex interplay between symptoms and psychological factors in chronic gastrointestinal diseases. The identification of distinct symptom groups emphasizes the need for personalized treatment strategies. Addressing psychological factors like anxiety and depression, alongside physical symptoms, can enhance the management and quality of life for patients.