Research Article
Year 2025,
Volume: 35 Issue: 2, 95 - 102, 11.06.2025
Abstract
Objective: Bell’s palsy is the most common type of peripheral facial paralysis. The sudden onset and unknown cause of Bell’s palsy lead to significant psychological distress and social disabilities in patients, which can severely impact their quality of life. This study aimed to explore the experiences of patients with Bell’s palsy using a qualitative approach to gain a better understanding of the outcomes from the patient’s perspectives.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted as a qualitative research employing a hermeneutic phenomenological framework. Inductive thematic analysis was used for data analysis
Results: The study included a total of 11 participants (six females and five males) from different phases of Bell’s palsy. Because of the inductive thematic analysis, the experiences of patients with Bell’s palsy were categorised into six main themes: “First Confrontation with Bell’s Palsy,” “Treatment and Self-Management Experiences”, “Physical Challenges Experienced”, “Psychological Effects”, “Social Effects”, and “Impact of Bell’s Palsy on Today”
Conclusion: Bell’s palsy is understood to be a traumatic experience that affects the physiological, psycho logical, and social aspects of patients’ lives, thereby significantly impacting their quality of life. Although patients receive medical treatment for Bell’s palsy, they often face the physiological and psychological challenges alone. Therefore, treatment should not be solely prescription-based; it must address the physiological, psychological, and social challenges through an interdisciplinary approach, including the involvement of nurses.
Ethical Statement
The ethics board approval for the study was collected from a University Clinical Research Ethics Board (protocol no: KAEK-39). Participants’ written and oral consent was collected after informing them.
Supporting Institution
This research received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Thanks
We express our gratitude to the patients who participated in the completion of this study.
References
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- Newell R, Marks I. Phobic nature of social difficulty in facially disfigured people. Br J Psychiatry 2000;176(2):177-81. google scholar
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Year 2025,
Volume: 35 Issue: 2, 95 - 102, 11.06.2025
Abstract
References
- Vargo M, Ding P, Sacco M, Duggal R, Genther DJ, Ciolek PJ, et al. The psychological and psychosocial effects of facial paralysis: A review. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 2023;83:423-30. google scholar
- Rajangam J, Lakshmanan AP, Rao KU, Jayashree D, Radhakrishnan R, Roshitha B, et al. Bell Palsy: Facts and Current Research Perspectives. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets 2024;23(2):203-14. google scholar
- Singh A, Deshmukh P. Bell's palsy: A review. Cureus 2022;14(10):e30186. google scholar
- Somasundara D, Sullivan F. Management of Bell’s palsy. Aust Prescr 2017;40(3):94-7. google scholar
- Muhammad Kassim N, Abdullahi A, Usman JS. Relationship Between Psychological Symptoms, Age, Severity of Symptoms, and Societal Integration in Patients With Facial Nerve Paralysis. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 2019;17(3):235-40. google scholar
- Nellis JC, Ishii M, Byrne PJ, Boahene KD, Dey JK, Ishii LE. Association among facial paralysis, depression, and quality of life in facial plastic surgery patients. JAMA Facial Plast Surg 2017;19(3):190-6. google scholar
- Norris JH, Longmire NM, Kilcoyne S, Johnson D, Fitzpatrick R, Klassen AF. Exploring Patient Experience of Facial Nerve Palsy to Inform the Development of a PROM. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2019;7(1):e2072. google scholar
- Saadi R, Shokri T, Schaefer E, Hollenbeak C, Lighthall JG. Depression rates after facial paralysis. Ann Plast Surg 2019;83(2):190-4. google scholar
- Tseng C-C, Hu L-Y, Liu M-E, Yang AC, Shen C-C, Tsai S-J. Bidirectional association between Bell's palsy and anxiety disorders: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study. J Affec Disord 2017;215:269-73. google scholar
- Ishii LE, Nellis JC, Boahene KD, Byrne P, Ishii M. The importance and psychology of facial expression. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2018;51(6):1011-7. google scholar
- Huang B, Xu S, Zhang M, Wang W. Psychological factors are closely associated with the Bell’s palsy: a case-control study. Curr Med Sci 2012;32(2):272-9. google scholar
- Baugh RF, Basura GJ, Ishii LE, Schwartz SR, Drumheller CM, Burkholder R, et al. Clinical practice guideline: Bell’s palsy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013;149(3):S1-27. google scholar
- Vakharia K, Vakharia K. Bell’s Palsy. Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am 2016;24:1-10. google scholar
- Charn TC, Subramaniam S, Yuen HW. Bell’s palsy in Singapore: a view from the patient’s perspective. Singapore Med J 2013;54(2):82-5. google scholar
- Díaz-Aristizabal U, Valdés-Vilches M, Fernández-Ferreras T, Calero-Muñoz E, Bienzobas-Allué E, Moracén-Naranjo T. Correlations between impairment, psychological distress, disability, and quality of life in peripheral facial palsy. Neurología (English Edition). 2019;34(7):423-8. google scholar
- Ho AL, Scott AM, Klassen AF, Cano SJ, Pusic AL, Van Laeken N. Measuring quality of life and patient satisfaction in facial paralysis patients: a systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures. Plast Reconstr Surg 2012;130 (1):91-9. google scholar
- Mooney T. Diagnosis and management of patients with Bell's palsy. Nursing Standard. 2013;28(14):44-9. google scholar
- Warner MJ, Hutchison J, Varacallo M, Busby TH. Bell Palsy (Nursing). StatPearls StatPearls Publishing; 2023. google scholar
- Heidegger M, Macquarrie J, Robinson E. Being and time. Albany: State University of New York Press; 1990. google scholar
- Laverty SM. Hermeneutic phenomenology and phenomenology: A comparison of historical and methodological considerations. Int J Qual Methods 2003;2(3):21-35. google scholar
- Pratt M. The utility of human sciences in nursing inquiry. Nurse Res 2012;19(3):12-5. google scholar
- Richards L, Morse JM. Readme first for a user's guide to qualitative methods: Sage; 2012. google scholar
- Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology 2006;3(2):77-101. google scholar
- Dowling M. From Husserl to van Manen. A review of different phenomenological approaches. Int J Nurs Stud 2007;44(1):131-42. google scholar
- Arastaman G, Öztürk Fidan İ, Fidan T. Validity and Reliability In Qualitative Research: A Theoretical Analysis. YYU Journal of Education Faculty 2018;15(1):37-75. google scholar
- Silva MFF, Cunha MC, Lazarini PR, Fouquet ML. Psychological contents and social effects associated to peripheral facial paralysis: a speech-language approach. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2011;15(4):450-60. google scholar
- Mooney T. Diagnosis and management of patients with Bell's palsy. Nurs Stand 2013;28(14):44-9. google scholar
- Sarhan F, Saif A, Saif D. Bell's palsy: an overview. British J Neuroscience Nursing 2012;8(4):163-8. google scholar
- Walker DT, Hallam MJ, Ni Mhurchadha S, McCabe P, Nduka C. The psychosocial impact of facial palsy: our experience in one hundred and twenty six patients. Clin Otolaryngol 2012;37(6):474-7. google scholar
- Newell R, Marks I. Phobic nature of social difficulty in facially disfigured people. Br J Psychiatry 2000;176(2):177-81. google scholar
- Kim JH, Fisher LM, Reder L, Hapner ER, Pepper JP. Speech and communicative participation in patients with facial paralysis. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2018;144(8):686-93. google scholar
There are 31 citations in total.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Otorhinolaryngology |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 11, 2025 |
| Submission Date | August 27, 2024 |
| Acceptance Date | May 14, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 35 Issue: 2 |
