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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
[Adaptation of self-image level and defense mechanisms in elderly patients with complicated stoma]
Miriam Karina Ortiz-Rivas1, Norma Elvira Moreno-Pérez2, Héctor Daniel Vega-Macías3
1Programa de maestría en Ciencias de Enfermería de la División de Ciencias de la Salud e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Celaya, Salvatierra, México.
Objective:
Ostomy patients face a number of problems that impact negatively on their personal welfare. The aim of this research is determine the nature and intensity of the relationship between the level of self-concept adaptive mode and the consistent use of coping strategies of older adults with a stoma.
Methodology:
Quantitative, correlational and transversal. VIVEROS 03 and CAPS surveys were applied in 3 hospitals in the City of Durango, México. The study included 90 older adults with an intestinal elimination stoma with complications. Kendall's Tau-b coefficient was the non-parametric test used to measure this association.
Results:
Most older adults analyzed (61.3 < % < 79.9) are not completely adapted to the condition of living with an intestinal stoma. There is also a moderate positive correlation (0,569) between the level of adaptation of the older adults with a stoma and the conscious use of coping strategies.
Conclusions:
The presence of an intestinal stoma represents a physical and psychological health problem that is reflected in the level of adaptation of the self-image. Elderly people with a stoma use only a small part of defense mechanisms as part of coping process. This limits their ability to face the adversities related to their condition, potentially causing major health complications.
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Ostomy Care
An ostomy is a surgical procedure that creates an artificial opening from the intestines to the outside of the body, allowing for the rerouting of effluent. This opening is known as a stoma. A stoma usually protrudes above the skin surface, appearing pink or red, moist, and round, and it lacks nerve sensations.
There are different types of ostomies, including colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies:
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