The respondents gave their verbal answers to questions read by the interviewer or completed
the questionnaires by themselves. After the questionnaire was completed, the interviewer verified completeness
of answers. The outcome time elapsed since surgery was categorized as 3 subgroups: (1) respondents having
a colostomy 1 year or less, (2) respondents having colostomy for more than 1 or up to 5 years, and (3)
respondents having colostomy more than 5 years. Analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship
between level of social support and HRQOL among persons with a colostomy (R = 0.361, P = .000029).
Moreover, we observed that the time elapsed since colostomy surgery influenced this relationship. Level of
social support and HRQOL were not significantly related in persons living with a colostomy = 1 year (R = 0.155,
P = .525). The correlation was significant in persons with a colostomy for more than 1 to but less than 5 years R
= 0.329, P = .02), and in individuals living with a colostomy for more than 5 years (R = 0.482, P = .0001).