Self-Perception of Iranian Patients During Their Life with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Qualitative Study

Overview

Journal Electron Physician

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2018 Mar 22

PMID 29560138

Citations 2

Authors

Zinat Mohebbi

Farkhondeh Sharif

Hamid Peyrovi

Mahnaz Rakhshan

Mahvash Alizade Naini

Ladan Zarshenas

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as a chronic digestive disorder, impacts extensively on the quality of life, emotional well-being and self-identity. Chronic illness disrupts taken-for-granted notions about self. No qualitative study was found regarding patients' experience of life with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Iran.

Objective: To explore the self-perception of lived experience of IBS patients.

Methods: A qualitative study with hermeneutic phenomenological approach was conducted on 12 IBS patients who had been referred to three central clinics (2 governmental and 1 private) affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews from July 2015 to September 2016 by purposeful sampling. Thematic analysis was carried out using Van Manen's six-step methodological framework as a guide. In addition, MAXQDA software was used for data management.

Results: In this study, two main themes "the threatened self" and "deep self-knowledge", emerged during the life of patients with IBS, indicating the meaning of self-perception of such patients. The theme of "the threatened self" consisted of two subthemes of "fear from stigmatization" and "bad sense of self". The subthemes of "body knowledge", "self-acceptance" and "personal growth" were related to deep self-knowledge.

Conclusion: The results of the present study could be applied in designing and implementation effective and holistic care of IBS patients.

Citing Articles

Iranian Women's Self-concept after Hysterectomy: A Qualitative Study.

Goudarzi F, Khadivzadeh T, Ebadi A, Babazadeh R Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2021; 26(3):230-237.

PMID: 34277374 PMC: 8262543. DOI: 10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_146_20.

Experience Lived by Iranian Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Transitory Crisis and Liberation.

Mohebbi Z, Sharif F, Peyrovi H, Rakhshan M, Alizade Naini M, Zarshenas L Invest Educ Enferm. 2019; 37(3).

PMID: 31830408 PMC: 7871497. DOI: 10.17533/udea.iee.v37n3e10.

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