The Experience Of Post-Traumatic Growth Processes In Newly Diagnosed Patients With Crohn’s Disease:A Longitudinal Qualitative Research

[Objective]The objective of this study was to investigate the experience of post-traumatic growth process in patients with Crohn’s disease within the first year following their diagnosis,and to provide reference for health care professionals to develop a patient-centered and phased psychological intervention programs.[Methods]A longitudinal qualitative research was adopted.Sixteen patients with Crohn’s disease from two Grade three Class A hospitals in Hangzhou,Zhejiang province were recruited through purposive sampling.Semi-structured interviews about psychological change process were conducted on three occasions:3,6 and 12 months after diagnosis.The content of psychological change was summarized at different time points and the post-traumatic growth process was explored.Data analysis of each time point was based on conventional content analysis.After the analysis of the three time points was completed,the data of each time point was compared longitudinally as a whole to reveal the corresponding trend.[Results]In this study,four themes and sixteen subthemes were formed after analysis:taking the hit(enduring suffering physically,enduring suffering psychologically,development being restricted);accepting the disease(not being able to accept the disease,having to accept the disease,knowing that the disease should be acceptable,being able to accept the disease);dancing with the disease(changing diet and adjusting lifestyle,monitoring actively and cooperating with treatment,getting familiar with the disease and exploring the rules,shifting attention and focusing on the problem,planning for the future and regaining hope);achieving growth(stronger relationships with others,increased personal strength,changes in life philosophy,new possibilities).Overall,within the first year after diagnosis,the negative experience caused by disease gradually decreased over time,and the acceptance level of disease gradually improved.According to the changes of symptoms and self-perception,patients constantly adjusted their disease coping strategies,and reconstructed their sense of meaning and self-worth through a series of mental adjustment and cognitive processing to achieve post-traumatic growth.The post-traumatic growth trajectories of 16 patients within the first year after diagnosis included:growth-flat type,sustained growth type,no growth type and growth-fall type.[Conclusion]This study offers a dynamic description and low-inference interpretive understanding of the experiences of post-traumatic growth process in patients with Crohn’s disease within the first year following their diagnosis.Medical staff can take targeted and individualized psychological intervention according to the characteristics of patients’psychological experience at different stages,give patients appropriate support and help,and assist them to do a good job in psychological reconstruction.