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INTRODUCTION: Among the uncertainties for those beginning life with an ostomy is whether the surgery will impact their marital relationship. This study investigates the post-operative marital status of a sample of ostomates in North America and the UK who were married at the time of their ostomy surgery.
METHODOLOGY: The prevalence study uses a subset (n = 1922) of data from the Ostomy Comprehensive Health and Life Assessment (N = 2989); a validated and reliable survey distributed in North America and theUnited Kingdom . The instrument is a self reported multi-item survey querying major facets of the lives of persons having undergone ostomy surgery. The subset includes participants who reported being married at the time of their ostomy surgery.
RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Overall, 87.9% of those married at the time of their surgery were also married at the time of the survey. This result may be viewed as encouraging in the context of a divorce rate nearly half as large as the marriage rate in the US (3.5 / thousand and 7.1 / thousand, respectively1). Among those surveyed within 24 months of surgery (n = 546), nearly all (98.7%) reported still being married. No significant difference between males and females is noted (99.7% and 97.6%, respectively [Fisher’s exact test, two-tailed, p = .053]).
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that fear of abandonment in a married population may be unfounded. The results for those within 24 months of the surgery suggest that abandonment in the period immediately following surgery is also unlikely for either gender. Clearly, the data presented do not address the complex issues of causality. A prospective study could provide reliable evidence to mitigate anxieties of those facing ostomy surgery.
METHODOLOGY: The prevalence study uses a subset (n = 1922) of data from the Ostomy Comprehensive Health and Life Assessment (N = 2989); a validated and reliable survey distributed in North America and the
RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Overall, 87.9% of those married at the time of their surgery were also married at the time of the survey. This result may be viewed as encouraging in the context of a divorce rate nearly half as large as the marriage rate in the US (3.5 / thousand and 7.1 / thousand, respectively1). Among those surveyed within 24 months of surgery (n = 546), nearly all (98.7%) reported still being married. No significant difference between males and females is noted (99.7% and 97.6%, respectively [Fisher’s exact test, two-tailed, p = .053]).
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that fear of abandonment in a married population may be unfounded. The results for those within 24 months of the surgery suggest that abandonment in the period immediately following surgery is also unlikely for either gender. Clearly, the data presented do not address the complex issues of causality. A prospective study could provide reliable evidence to mitigate anxieties of those facing ostomy surgery.