Flourishing and its influencing factor in inflammatory bowel disease patients: a latent profile analysis

Background Flourishing is a key positive psychological construct that has been linked to favorable health-related outcomes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in prior research. However, current research often overlooks the variations in flourishing levels within this population, as well as the mechanisms through which flourishing interacts with disease progression. Objective This study aimed to identify latent categories of flourishing among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and to analyze the potential influencing factors. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional, descriptive exploratory design involving 316 patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Data collection was carried out using a general information questionnaire, the Flourishing Scale (FS), the IBD Self-Efficacy Scale (IBD-SES), the Resilience Scale for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (RS-IBD), and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was utilized to identify potential subgroups exhibiting flourishing, while multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the influencing factors. Results The flourishing of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease was classified into three latent groups: the low flourishing-low support beneficiary group ( n = 66, 20.9%), the moderate flourishing-optimism weakening group ( n = 182, 57.6%), and the high flourishing-social dignity achievement group ( n = 68, 21.5%). A multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that marital status, monthly household income, duration of diagnosis, managing stress and emotions, managing symptoms and disease, maintaining remission, and emotional regulation were significant predictors of the latent categories of flourishing among the participants (all p < 0.05). Conclusions Patients with inflammatory bowel disease demonstrate three distinct latent categories of flourishing. Healthcare professionals should implement more accurate and targeted intervention measures based on the characteristics and influencing factors of different potential categories, in order to improve the flourishing levels of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.