Exploring the Relationship Between Resilience and Ostomy Adjustment in Adults With a Permanent Ostomy

The aims of this study were to describe the relationship between resilience and ostomy adjustment in adults with permanent stomas and to determine if participants who report higher levels of resilience also report higher levels of adjustment to a permanent ostomy.Descriptive, correlational research design utilizing the Roy Adaptation Model as the theoretical framework was used.Persons with permanent stomas were recruited from ostomy support groups on the East Coast of the United States. The study sample included 48 respondents. Their mean age was 66 ± 12.7 years (mean ± SD); the majority (60.4%) were women, had an ileostomy (62.5%), and had a history of inflammatory bowel disease (62.5%).Respondents completed a questionnaire that queried demographic and pertinent clinical data, along with 2 previously validated instruments, the Resilience Scale and Ostomy Adjustment Inventory-23. The relationships between levels of resilience, levels of adjustment to an ostomy, and demographic characteristics were examined.Participants with higher levels of ostomy adjustment had higher levels of resilience than respondents who reported lower levels of ostomy adjustment (r = 0.65, P ≤ .01).Findings from this study suggest that higher levels of resilience facilitate adjustment to a permanent ostomy.