Coping and the outcome of stoma surgery

A prospective 12 month study of 106 subjects who underwent stoma surgery was conducted and has been described previously. Coping responses to the underlying diagnosis and to the stoma itself were assessed at 3 and 12 months post operatively and are related to the outcome 3 years after the operation. Difficulty coping with the stoma itself was a greater determinant of later psychiatric disturbance than difficulty in coping with the illness. Physical outcome, in those with colorectal carcinoma, was influenced by coping strategies only in the males, denial over diagnosis was significantly associated with poor outcome whereas fighting spirit over the stoma was associated with a good outcome.