Factors that Influence Psychological Adjustment to Haemodialysis

Abstract

This study examined various factors that influence psychological adjustment to haemodialysis. It included examining the influence of 1) patients' understanding of the need for treatment-'Informed consent' and 2) patients' satisfaction with the way they were treated by dialysis staff. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 196 patients who had been on haemodialysis for 1-5 years.Stepwise multiple-regression analysis revealed that 'perception of stress' (beta=- 0.389) was the most influencing factor, followed by 'support from friends' beta=0.236), 'age' (beta=-0.230), 'mental state' and 'giving initial sufficient consent to starting haemodialysis'. These variables explained 46.8% of variance in psychological adjustment to haemodialysis in these patients. In addition, patients who were working had significantly better psychological adjustment than those who were not.The study found that psychological adjustment to haemodialysis improved when, a) medical staff have a thorough understanding of patients' mental states and help them to cope with stress, b) when they encourage patients to maintain contact with friends and get their support, and c) when they make great effort to get patients to understand the need for haemodialysis at the outset.