Results suggest IBS negatively impacts body image appreciation, fostering self-critical judgments that exacerbate psychological symptoms. This study is the first to demonstrate a significant association between body appreciation and IBS, specifically highlighting this relationship. Findings clarify the psychosocial pathways at play in the comorbidity of mental health issues in IBS. Physicians and other health professionals are advised to detect women with IBS who are distressed, and to offer them appropriate intervention to prevent downstream consequences.