FEMALE PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCES REGARDING CROHN’S DISEASE: A CASE REPORT

Rômulo Mágnus de Castro Sena

doi:10.36489/nursing.2026v31i336p14056-14067

Authors

Rômulo Mágnus de Castro Sena Doutor em Ciências (Saúde Mental); Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM); Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6802-0786

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36489/nursing.2026v31i336p14056-14067

Keywords:

Crohn’s Disease, Ostomy, Adaptation Psychological, Professional-Patient Relations, Case report

Abstract

Objective: To explore female psychological experiences related to Crohn’s Disease through a case report. Method: a case report of a 20-year-old female patient diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, residing in the municipality of Rafael Fernandes – RN, in 2009. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview comprising open-ended, in-depth questions, and were subsequently subjected to Qualitative Content Analysis. Results: three categories emerged: 1) The Odyssey in Search of a Diagnosis and Treatment; 2) The Position of the Person with Crohn’s Disease in the Redefinition of Family Dynamics; and 3) Experiences as an Ostomized Individual: from confronting the mirror to a wardrobe transformation. Conclusion: The primary factor associated with the clinical progression of Crohn’s Disease and its related complications was linked to difficulties in establishing an early diagnosis. The family played a protective role in fostering treatment adherence; however, in certain circumstances, it hindered the patient’s autonomy in self-care and social inclusion. Finally, the stage of the disease in which the greatest impairment of femininity was observed corresponded to the period during which the patient had an ostomy.

References

Lunardi JFD, Rolim FBB, Dartora KN, Silva LZT. Manifestações clínicas, diagnóstico e prognóstico da doença de Crohn em adultos. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences [serial on Internet]. 2024 [cited 2026 mar 30]; 6(10): 1777-1792. Available from: https://bjihs.emnuvens.com.br/bjihs/article/view/3898/3990.

Gounden C, Naidoo V, Moodley Y. Prevalence and predictors of severe Crohn's disease at a tertiary hospital in South Africa. S Afr Med J. 2024 Apr 18 [cited 2026 mar 30]; 114(4): 40-45. Available from: https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/1667/869.

Ke BJ, Abdurahiman S, Biscu F, Zanella G, Dragoni G, Santhosh S, De Simone V, Zouzaf A, et al. Intercellular interaction between FAP+ fibroblasts and CD150+ inflammatory monocytes mediates fibrostenosis in Crohn's disease. J Clin Invest [serial on Internet]. 2024 Jul [cited 2026 mar 30];134(16):e173835. Available from: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/173835.

Zhulina Y, Udumyan R, Tysk C, Halfvarson J. Mortality in patients with Crohn’s disease in Örebro, Sweden 1963-2010. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology [serial on Internet]. 2022 [cited 2026 mar 30]; 57(2): 158-164. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/00365521.2021.1991466.

Caron B, Honap S, Peyrin-Biroulet L. Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease across the Ages in the Era of Advanced Therapies. J Crohns Colitis [serial on Internet]. 2024 Oct 30 [cited 2026 mar 30];18(Supp 2):ii3-ii15. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11522978/.

Baêta OM, Alves AK, Moreno JM, Silva JRF, Souza MLF, Sobral RB, Pissinatti RS, Paixão VC, et al. Doença de Crohn -uma revisão abrangente sobre a epidemiologia, fisiopatologia e patogênese, fatores de risco, diagnóstico clínico, diagnóstico imagiológico, manifestações extra intestinais, tratamento, nutrição e dieta. Brazilian Journal of Health Review [serial on Internet]. 2023 July/Aug. [cited 2026 mar 30]; 6(4): 17438-17454. Available from: https://ojs.brazilianjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/BJHR/article/view/62125/44713.

Gonçalves JLA, Jukemura J, Facanali CBG, Marques CFS, Ambar Filho R, Sobrado CW, Nahas SC. Is religiosity/spirituality in patients with Crohn's disease important to their quality of life? Clinics (Sao Paulo) [serial on Internet]. 2024 May [cited 2026 mar 30]; 24(79):100389. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11153047/.

Gomes Filho PAV, Urankar LA, Aguiar KRCC, Rodrigues LRP, Melo IM, Vamszer MVAM, Andrade CGF, Teixeira MLMP, et al. Manejo cirúrgico da doença de crohn: uma revisão das indicações, técnicas de abordagem e cuidados pós-operatórios. Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação. São Paulo, 2024 Marc; 10(03): 894-905.

Wall CL, Bensley R, Glyn T, Haines M, Rowbotham D, Bissett I, Eglinton T, Gearry RB. Preoperative Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet and Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Adults with Crohn's Disease: A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial. Nutrients [serial on Internet]. 2024 Jul 2 [cited 2026 mar 30];16(13): 2105. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11243368/

Bohm I, Sundqvist J. Qualitative Content Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners to the Method, Theories, Epistemology, Ontology, and Rigour. The Qualitative Report [serial on Internet]. 2025 Sept 22 [cited 2026 mar 30]; 30(9): 4236-4263. Available from: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol30/iss9/1/.

Santos CT, Sebastiani RW. Acompanhamento psicológico à pessoa portadora de doença crônica. In: Angerami VA (org.). E a psicologia entrou no hospital. ed atual ampl. Belo Horizonte, MG: Artesã, 2017. 408p.