Psychosocial adaptation to stoma surgery: a review

During the last decade strong improvements have been made in the medical care of patients with a digestive tract stoma, particularly with regard to nursing skills and to the quality of collecting material for faecal products. Scientific investigation into the psychosocial adjustment of patients after stoma surgery has intensified as well, giving us indications for quality of life. These developments induced a review of the actual state of affairs in psychological issues. After evaluating the results of psychosocial stoma research, it can be concluded that the technical improvements in stoma care during the past decade did not result in a decline in psychosocial problems after stoma surgery. However, there are some serious problems when interpreting the results of studies in this field of investigation. Stoma surgery is not per se solely responsible for the reported psychosocial problems, first, because many conclusions are based on research studies with poor design and, second, because these studies lack a theoretical framework within which the process of psychosocial adjustment has been measured and explained. This review assesses the most current developments and controversies in this field.