Stoma Perceptions of Adults with an Ostomy: A Metaphor Analysis in a Single Center.

Objective: To use metaphor to evaluate stoma perceptions among adults with ostomies to conceptualize and portray their lived experiences using a figurative approach.

Methods: A qualitative research design was used. Participants were 27 adults with an ostomy who were followed up in the stoma therapy unit. Individuals were included in the study if they had had a temporary or permanent ostomy for at least 2 months and spoke Turkish. Participants were asked to complete the sentence: "Stoma is like…/similar to… because…." The researchers used content analysis to evaluate participants' responses. Interpretation of the metaphors developed by participants was carried out in five phases: coding, example metaphor compilation, theme development, ensuring trustworthiness, and transferring.

Results: Participants expressed a total of 17 unique and 10 repeated metaphors for the concept of "stoma." These metaphors were grouped under three different themes: positive (lifesaving), negative (punishment/enemy), and neutral (temporary/necessity for life). The most commonly used metaphors were life, savior, comfort, difficulty, fear, punishment, and necessity.

Conclusions: Individuals with an ostomy mostly had negative metaphorical associations with stomas. The authors recommend that hospitals implement multifaceted interventions to bring positive metaphors to individuals with ostomies.