Stress factors and quality of life in adult hemodialysis patients

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of physiological and psychosocial stress on the quality of life (QoL) in a group of hemodialysis (HD) patients from our center. Materials and methods: A number of 70 patients were included in the study. We used the Hemodialysis Stressors Scale, in order to estimate the stress level, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey Questionnaire, to evaluate the QoL. Results: The M for age = 54.5 ± 11.7 years and 38.6% were men. Patients with a low level of stress had significantly higher physical health (M = 53,52; p = 0.04) and mental health (M = 51,61; p <0.01) scores. The disease-related factors that induced the highest level of stress were the physical symptoms (1.67 ± 0.68), the food and water intake restrictions (1.64 ± 0.76), the vascular access problems (1.44 ± 0.83), the daily activity limitations (1.22 ± 0.72), the dependence on the medical staff (1.14 ± 0.74). Socio-economical and demographical factors had no effect on stress and QoL. Conclusions: The study prove the importance of stress for the QoL in HD patients. Efforts should be undertaken to minimize stress factors. Keywords: Dialysis; stress; physical well-being; psychological well-being; quality of life;