Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics of Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Control

^aSeparated family, a family in which the primary couple are not living together despite being alive; ^bNuclear family, a family unit consisting of a mother and father and their progeny; ^cExtended family, a family unit and various relatives living in one household and functioning as a larger unit; ^dJoint family, a type of extended family composed of parents, their children and children's spouses and offspring in one household.

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome.