Abstract: Objective: To explore the real experience during the nutritional care process of caregivers of infants and young children after high jejunostomy, and to provide a basis for developing systematic and individualized nutritional support strategies. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study design was adopted. Using purposive sampling, 15 family caregivers of infants and young children after high jejunostomy from a pediatric medicine department in Beijing were selected for semi-structured interviews between January 2024 and January 2025. The ABC-X model served as the theoretical framework to develop the interview guide. Directed content analysis was employed to collate and analyze the data. Results: Four themes were extracted based on the ABC-X model. Stressor (A): Faced multiple burdens including physiological, psychological, and economic strains. Resources (B): Support channels were limited, with a strong need for external professional assistance. Cognition (C): Nutritional care cognition varied among caregivers, and translating knowledge into practice was challenging. Outcome (X): Practical abilities in nutritional care and nutritional outcomes of the children differed significantly. Conclusion: Family caregivers of infants and young children after high enterostomy face multifaceted pressure during the nutritional care process, characterized by insufficient available resources and barriers in translating knowledge into practice. These challenges ultimately lead to significant variations in caregivers' caregiving competence and the nutritional outcomes of the children.

Key words: high jejunostomy; infant and young child; experience; nutritional care; qualitative study