Volume 24, Issue 102, March - April, 2020

Stigma experience in patients with kidney transplant rejection

Mina Nahamin¹, Hadi Hassankhani^2♦, Hossein Ebrahimi³, Seyed Sadraddin Rasi Hashem⁴

¹School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
²Center of Qualitative Studies, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
³Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
⁴Kidney Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
Center of Qualitative Studies, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Email: hadihasankhanisurgicalnursing@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is currently a global health issue. Psycho- social aspect of physical disorders might cause more problems for an individual than the deficiency itself. Understanding the psycho- social experiences of patients with kidney transplant rejection could help them to find a proper way to deal with it. Objectives: To illuminate psycho- social experiences of patients with kidney transplant rejection. Methods: In this qualitative phenomenological study was carried out in 2018 in north-west cities of Iran in 10 patients (4 females and 6 males) with kidney transplant rejection experience. Data were collected by semistructured interviews. The interviews included main and exploratory questions and analyzed using Van Manen's phenomenology approach. Results: overarching theme of stigma which included three primary themes were emerged from the data analysis; 'selfblaming for causing a deficiency in another individual's body', 'hiding the disease', and 'seclusion'. Conclusion: The study has demonstrated that patients submitted to a kidney transplant rejection had an experience stigma. Considering the high rate of stigma in these patients, it is necessary to attend to it and it is suggested that social education about dealing with these patients appropriately be provided in various levels via media and by healthcare centers.

Keywords: Kidney transplant rejection, stigma, phenomenology

Medical Science, 2020, 24(102), 475-482

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