Factors Influencing the Stress of Patients on Hemodialysis

Kim, Seoyun; Yang, Jinhyang

Abstract

PURPOSE
Patients on hemodialysis need to manage the stress of having a life-threatening condition. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with stress among patients on hemodialysis.
METHODS
The research had a cross-sectional, descriptive design using a questionnaire. The participants were 91 adult patients on hemodialysis from four dialysis centers in a large Korean city. Data were analyzed with the SAS 9.2 program using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression.
RESULTS
There were statistically significant differences in stress by age, dialysis period, and change in employment status. In hemodialysis patients, stress was significantly positive correlated with fatigue and depression, but negatively correlated with self-esteem. Stepwise multiple regression analysis for stress revealed that the most powerful predictor was depression. Depression and fatigue explained 32.5% of the variance.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate a need to manage the stress of these patients. The findings also suggest that consideration be given to characteristics of age, dialysis period, and employment status in developing strategies to reduce depression and fatigue and developing programs to manage the stress of patients on hemodialysis.