EXPLORATION OF CHANGES IN TRUST, AUTONOMY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DISCOMFORT EXPERIENCED BY THE POST-OPERATIVE CANCER PATIENT WITH A COLOSTOMY.
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 143
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Clinical.
Description: The purpose of this study is: (1) To build a descriptive behavioral assessment data base of the post-operative responses of colostomy cancer patients using Erikson's (1956) theoretical framework of trust and autonomy. (2) To describe the trust and autonomy changes experienced by the cancer colostomy patient at four weeks and twelve weeks post-operative. (3) To measure several indices of psycho-social discomfort as anticipated by cancer patients before colostomy operations and compare those measurements with similar measurements of psycho-social discomfort made at four weeks and twelve weeks post-operative. (4) To determine the appropriateness of using the phases of trust and autonomy of Erikson's development framework as a theoretical explanation for the post-operative experience of the colostomy patient. (5) To determine the appropriateness of utilizing the phases of trust and autonomy according to Erikson's developmental framework as a theoretical explanation for the post-operative experience of the colostomy patient.

Results show an increase in trust from a mean of 203.6 at four weeks post-operative to a mean of 221.7 at twelve weeks post-operative. Autonomy scores decreased from a mean of 146.2 at four weeks post-operative to a mean of 143.9 at twelve weeks post-operative. All categories of autonomy decreased in both males and females, with but one exception: Females reported an increase in the "learning" category at the twelve-week interview.

Psycho-social discomfort decreased from a mean of 25.7 before surgery to a mean of 22.1 four weeks after surgery and a mean of 8.0 twelve weeks after surgery. Females consistently reported higher psycho-social discomfort than males, although these scores were not statistically significant.

The implications for clinical practice are that trust, autonomy and the indices of psycho-social discomfort are true variables, and do change as a function of time but further research is needed to establish and verify the numerical functional relationship of these independent variables. Further, the study indicates that gender may be a significant factor in the all of the trust/autonomy/psycho-social relationships as functions of time and must be taken into account in all nursing situations. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-09, Section: B, page: 3924.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1989.

School code: 0034.