Chinese Version of IBS-SSS Validated for Outcome Assessment in IBS Patients

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Frontiers in Medicine Published May 9, 2026 Medically reviewed May 9, 2026 Study authors: Qian Li, Jia-Hao Mo, Hui-Qi Chen, Meng-Xin Chen, Xiao-Jia Ni, Ze-Hui He, Bing-Xiong Ou, Xiu-Cai Fang… DOI ↗ By Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease

Key Takeaway

Consider using IBS-SSS-C for IBS outcome assessment in Chinese patients, but await further multi-center validation.

This guideline reports a validation study of the Chinese version of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS-C) in a Chinese population with IBS. The study assessed responsiveness, test-retest reliability, and floor-ceiling effects. Responsiveness was evaluated using adequate relief (AR) as an anchor, comparing absolute changes in IBS-SSS-C total score and individual symptom scores between AR responders and non-responders. Significant differences were found for total score (p=0.001), abdominal pain severity (p=0.032), abdominal pain frequency (p=0.001), and bowel habit satisfaction (p=0.036). Test-retest reliability was good for the total score (r=0.72) and moderate to good for individual items (r=0.41-0.81). No floor or ceiling effects were observed. The sample included 95 patients for responsiveness and floor-ceiling effects, and 35 for test-retest reliability. The authors note that further validation in larger-scale, multi-center studies is required. The IBS-SSS-C appears to be a reliable and appropriate instrument for IBS outcome assessment in the Chinese population, but clinicians should interpret these findings as preliminary pending broader validation.

Study Details

Study typeGuideline

EvidenceLevel 5

PublishedMay 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

Given that the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) is widely utilized in IBS-related clinical research but lacks an officially approved Chinese version (IBS-SSS-C), which has impeded its application in Chinese research contexts. This study aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the IBS-SSS into a Chinese version, and validate its key properties, thereby developing a reliable and officially recognized tool for assessing IBS severity among the Chinese population. We obtained translation permission for the IBS-SSS from the Rome Foundation, and translated and cross-culturally adapted it into a Chinese version according to the official guideline. Validation was performed as clinical trials assessing responsiveness to change (n = 95), test–retest reliability (n = 35) and the floor-ceiling effects (n = 95) of IBS-SSS-C. We assessed the IBS-SSS-C score’s responsiveness to change using adequate relief (AR) as an anchor. Through forward and backward translation, and cross-cultural adaption, the IBS-SSS-C was developed and approved for use by the Rome Foundation. A significance difference in the absolute change of the IBS-SSS-C total score before and after treatment was found in the AR responder and non-responder groups (p = 0.001). This trend also emerged for the items abdominal pain severity (p = 0.032), abdominal pain frequency (p = 0.001), and bowel habit satisfaction (p = 0.036). There was good test–retest reliability (r = 0.72) for the IBS-SSS-C total score, and a moderate to good correlation (r = 0.41–0.81) for each of its items. No floor or ceiling effect was found in either IBS-SSS-C or any of its item. Our findings indicate that the IBS-SSS-C appears to be a reliable and appropriate instrument for IBS outcome assessment in the Chinese population; nevertheless, further validation in larger-scale, multi-center studies is required.