Self-Perception of Iranian Patients during their life with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Qualitative Study

• Main Authors: Zinat Mohebbi, Farkhondeh Sharif, Hamid Peyrovi, Mahnaz Rakhshan, Mahvash Alizade Naini, Ladan Zarshenas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Electronic Physician 2017-12-01
• Series: Electronic Physician
• Subjects: Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Self-perception; Qualitative research
• Online Access: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5843412/
• ISSN: 2008-5842; 2008-5842

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.