Relationship between perceived social support and stoma self-efficacy in permanent colostomy patients: A correlational study.

Aim: In the context of adjusting to life with a permanent colostomy, this study explored how perceived social support from family, friends and others influences patients' self-efficacy in managing their stoma and engaging with their social lives.

Methods: The study employed a descriptive, correlational design to investigate the relationship between social support and self-efficacy in 94 colostomy patients between April 2021 and August 2022. Participants completed the Descriptive Characteristics Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and stoma self-efficacy scale (SSES). Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data, and one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc test examined group differences. Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between age, social support and self-efficacy, while multiple linear regression identified factors independently associated with self-efficacy level.

Results: The participants had a mean age of 56.9 ± 14.34 years, and 37.2% had been suffering from stoma complications for a duration ranging from 13 months to 5 years. The mean total score on the MSPSS was 64.3 ± 13.5, whereas the mean total score on the SSES stood at 71.22 ± 20.21. A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.419, p < 0.001) was observed between the total scores from the MSPSS and SSES. The increase in the total score on the MSPSS was a significant predictor (β = 0.293, p = 0.001) of the level of stoma self-efficacy, explaining 48.9% of the variance.

Conclusion: Stronger perceived social support was linked to higher stoma self-efficacy in permanent colostomy patients.