Perceptions of people with ostomies regarding their life journeys

Resumen

A stoma is a surgical procedure that creates a stoma - an opening in the abdominal wall or trachea - either permanently or temporarily, allowing communication between the body’s internal environment and the external environment. The surgery is performed to ensure the patient’s survival, and the most common cases involve intestinal stomas for elimination, indicated when a portion of the intestine exhibits dysfunction, obstruction, or injury. It is often perceived by the patient as mutilation incompatible with social, professional, and even family life. This study aimed to explore the potential contributions of psychology to the life trajectories of individuals who underwent the surgical procedure for the creation of an intestinal stoma for elimination. The research was conducted as an exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative field study. Six people with stomas participated. The results showed that the main difficulties encountered by the participants were related to adapting to the stoma and insecurity regarding the new physical and emotional situations caused by the use of the colostomy bag. In the social sphere, participants reported receiving support from their families and expressed satisfaction with the quality of care provided by public health professionals. It was found that ostomy leads people to experience significant emotional distress in the face of the changes and adjustments required by their new way of life. It was concluded that, despite the lack of psychological studies on the ostomy context, psychology can make a significant contribution to psycho-emotional support, psychoeducation, adaptation, and the empowerment of people with ostomies.