Impact of Anxiety and Depression on Quality of Life among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Context: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a life-threatening problem of global concern. Living with CKD is associated with many psychological problems, including depression and anxiety, which can directly or indirectly affect the quality of life. Only one review in the existing literature has assessed these associations among CKD patients using different dialysis modalities. However, the experience of these symptoms could be higher among patients on hemodialysis therapy. In this purview, there is a need to narrow the previous work to be more focused on hemodialysis patients.
 Aim: This scoping review aims to determine the gaps in the knowledge about the impact of anxiety and depression concerning QOL among people undergoing hemodialysis.
 Methods: The studies selected were those examined the relationships between depression or/and anxiety with quality of life in adult patients on hemodialysis. The CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Pub Med databases were searched for literature published between January 2012 and December 2019. The quality of the included studies was also apprised. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria.
 Results: Six studies examined the impact of depression and anxiety on the quality of life. Five studies identified from the review have examined the relationships between depression and quality of life. It was established that the prevalence of anxiety and depression was high among hemodialysis patients, and the same was associated with low quality of life.
 Conclusion: The literature review highlights the negative associations between anxiety, depression, and quality of life among hemodialysis patients. It is, therefore, essential to screen hemodialysis patients frequently for anxiety and depression using a short-form questionnaire. This screening would allow for providing early interventions, and the potential deterioration of quality of life could be prevented. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess these relationships. Additionally, further research is needed to determine effective interventional programs to improve the overall quality of life.

Level of Depression and Anxiety on Quality of Life Among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

“…Some studies stated that low QoL scores significantly contribute to developing depressive symptoms, and those with no depression, anxiety, and stress had better QoL. 29 , 31 , 39 , 51–53 This supports our findings of a negative correlation between QoL domains and GAD7 and PHQ9 scores, with lower depression and GAD scores correlating with higher QoL domains. Thus, screening CKD patients and hemodialysis patients for depression and anxiety are of paramount importance.…”

“… 15 It’s well established that depression is the most common psychiatric illness found among hemodialysis patients, in particular with a prevalence that varies between 20% at the lowest to 88.8% at the highest, 2 , 7 , 16–28 while most of the studies have shown the depression prevalence to be around 50% or more. 29 Anxiety is also a common psychiatric disorder among Hemodialysis patients, with a prevalence ranging from 23.6% at the lowest to 92.5% at the highest. However, it’s worth mentioning that the prevalence of anxiety was lower than depression in most studies that investigated both mental illnesses.…”

Impact of anxiety and depression on the quality of life of haemodialysis patients

“…Depression and anxiety are among the psychological symptoms commonly experienced when undergoing haemodialysis therapy (AlNashri et al, 2020; Semaan et al, 2018; Shirazian et al, 2017). These symptoms may be triggered by physical and cognitive impairments, strict therapeutic regimens, limitations in routine life, the fear of death, physical symptoms and fatigue, and dependency on others.…”