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Stoma surgery has a considerable impact on a patients’ life. Stoma patients experience several psychological difficulties: impaired self-esteem, impaired sexual functioning, depression, anxiety, sense of stigma, social isolation, … In many cases people have to deal with both their diagnosis and the fact that they will receive a stoma. Although a stoma can be lifesaving, it also has consequences some people may find hard to cope with.The aim of this study is to provide an overview of psycho-social functioning in stoma patients. A systematic review was conducted, using PsychInfo and PubMed databases. In total 29 papers, involving 28 studies were retained. Topics that were most often investigated were psychological functioning, body image and sexuality and social functioning.Regarding psychological functioning, specific groups of patients appear to be more at risk, such as women with low quality of life, people who had no initial stoma, but who received one during their treatment and Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients. There was also a difference between temporary and permanent stoma patients. Stoma surgery negatively influenced body image and body image predicted psychological functioning. Concerning sexuality, some interesting age-related results were found. In the social domain men encountered more problems than women.