Adaptation of patients diagnosed with human papillomavirus: a grounded theory study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus is the most common cause of sexually transmitted diseases. Various studies report that positive human papillomavirus diagnosis results in psychosexual issues for the infected and reduces their quality of life. However, the adaptation of the infected has not been addressed yet. The present study aims to identify the process by which individuals infected with human papillomavirus adapt to their disease. METHOD: This is a qualitative work of research with a grounded theory design. The setting of the study was the skin clinic of Shahid Faghihi Hospital in Shiraz. The participants consisted of 27 individuals 18 patients, 3 doctors, 2 counselors, and 4 spouses of patients. The subjects were selected via purposeful and theoretical sampling method until data saturation was reached. Data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews from April 2019 to December 2020. The collected data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss's method (2015) and MAXQDA 2018. RESULTS: The theory which emerged from the data was "trying to maintain resilience in the absence of psychological security." Analysis of data showed the main concern of participants in adapting to their diagnosis with human papillomavirus was "life stress". "Stigma and ignorance" was found to be a contextual condition and "paradox in support" was an intervening condition in the patients' adaptation. The patients' action/interaction responses to their main concern in the context in question were "emotional confrontation" and "maintaining resilience." The outcome was "oscillation between tension and tranquility." CONCLUSION: The present study explains the process by which patients with human papillomavirus adapt to their condition. Identification of the concerns of patients with human papillomavirus and the factors which affect their adaptation can help healthcare policy-makers and providers develop effective support plans in order to increase patients' quality of life. Early interventions, e.g. counseling care providers to modify their behaviors toward alleviating the psychosexual tension of the infected, can facilitate the adaptation of the infected and decrease the consequences of the infection for them.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common cause of sexually transmitted diseases. Almost all men and women get the infection at least once throughout their lives. The high-risk types of HPV account for about 5% of cancer cases globally. HPV can cause anogenital cancers and warts in both genders. In this grounded theory study, we conducted 27 in-depth interviews with Iranian patients, their spouses, and health care providers from April 2019 to December 2020. The collected data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss's method (2015) and MAXQDA 2018. The participants were concerned about tension in family relationships, being stigmatized, getting cancer, recurrence of warts, transferring their disease to others, and changes in the appearance of their genitalia. They stated that HPV is regarded as a shameful disease in society. Most of the participants said they had never heard anything about HPV. The patients' action/interaction responses to their concerns were "emotional confrontation" and "maintaining resilience." These strategies helped the patients recover some of their tranquility. However, some of patients' concerns were persistent and kept them oscillating between tension and tranquility. An understanding of the patients' perception of their disease is essential to development of effective educational interventions to change patients' perspective on their situation and improve their recovery. Furthermore, because of the low level of public awareness about HPV and sexual health and the flow of misinformation to the infected, it is recommended that educational interventions focus on the patients' concerns.