| [ Abstract ] Objective To deeply understand the stigma experience and feelings of young and middle-aged peritoneal dialysis patients during dialysis, and to provide reference for the formulation of corresponding intervention programs. Methods A descriptive phenomenological research method was used to conduct face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 14 peritoneal dialysis patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Taiyuan from December 2024 to April 2025. The colzizzi seven-step analysis method was used to analyze the data and refine the theme. Results A total of 3 themes and 12 sub-themes were extracted, which were : stigma awareness of patients with dialysis experience internalization : self-denial and cognitive bias, economic pressure and family role reversal, body image change and self-avoidance, physiological weakness and self-uselessness ; perceived social discrimination aggravates stigma : the double shackles of therapeutic characteristics and social isolation, employment exclusion and social value negation, and social trial of disease markers ; complex and diverse stigma coping strategies : self-attribution and self-blame regret,Social avoidance, self-concealment, cognitive reconstruction and mentality adjustment, perceived social support. Conclusion The stigma of young and middle-aged peritoneal dialysis patients is the result of self-internalization and social external discrimination. The coping style of patients shows obvious dynamic changes with the development of the disease. Clinical work should not only pay attention to the physical symptoms of patients, but also focus on the psychological dilemma of patients, and implement individualized intervention for the three pain points of internal cognitive bias, external social isolation and negative coping behavior. At the same time, we should link family members, relatives and friends and all sectors of society to build a perfect family and social support system, eliminate public cognitive bias, and reduce the level of patients '' stigma in two dimensions.
[ Keywords ] end-stage renal disease ; peritoneal dialysis ; young and middle-aged ; self-stigma ; qualitative research |