Abstract
Congenital malformations like anorectal anomalies or Hirschsprung's disease often require construction of a stoma in childhood．It has been suggested that adults and children differ in their adaptation to having a stoma because they perecive the stress associated with the stoma differently．
〔Methods〕A qualitative descriptive sase study methodology was used to explore the process of children's adaptation to a stoma．Interviews were conducted with a wale adult with a stoma for Hirschsprung's disease．
〔Results〕The adult patient noted that after caring for the stoma by himself,he began learning how to manage fecal dysfunction and the associated psychosocial problems．This process was enhanced by the support of others and acceptance by peers．
