Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr 17;15(1):74.
doi: 10.1186/s12955-017-0646-4.

Beyond quality of life: a cross sectional study on the mental health of patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis and their caregivers

Beatriz Dos Santos Pereira  1 , Neimar da Silva Fernandes  2 , Nayara Pires de Melo  3 , Renata Abrita  4 , Fabiane Rossi Dos Santos Grincenkov  5 , Natália Maria da Silva Fernandes  6
Affiliations

Beyond quality of life: a cross sectional study on the mental health of patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis and their caregivers

Beatriz Dos Santos Pereira et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: Patients with terminal chronic kidney disease (CKDT) requiring renal replacement therapies (RRT) undergo important changes in living habits and frequently need caregiving. These patients and their caregivers are risk groups for the development of physical and psychological symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue, social support, and quality of life in patients with CKD and their caregivers.

Method: This cross sectional study was conducted with 21 patients and their caregivers, from January to September 2015. We included patients aged over 18 years, with at least 6 months on dialysis treatment, and caregivers who were family members. The participants' social, demographic, clinical, laboratory, and psychological variables were evaluated. A descriptive analysis and an examination of the association between patients and caregivers were performed.

Results: Among patients, we observed that 38.1% had symptoms that indicated anxiety and depression. The average score for practical social support was 3.15 ± 0.769 and that for emotional social support was 3.16 ± 0.79. As for fatigue, 14.3% of patients reported being 'extremely tired' and 14.3% reported that they engaged in all the activities they usually performed before the illness. Further, 57.1% presented stress, and of these, 66.7% were at the resistance stage, with predominance of psychological symptoms in 60.0%. The quality of life domain in terms of functional capacity (FC) presented a correlation with haemoglobin level (r = 0.581, p = 0.006) and non-anaemic patients presented better FC. Among caregivers, we observed symptoms that indicated anxiety and depression in 33.3% of the sample. Caregivers exhibited an average score of 2.88 ± 0.77 for practical social support and 3.0 ± 0.72 for emotional social support. Further, 14.3% reported being 'extremely tired' and 28.8% reported that they engaged in all activities that they usually performed before the patient's illness. When comparing the two groups (patients vs. caregivers), we observed that they presented similar results for the presence of anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Caregivers received less social support than patients did. Both groups presented similar predominance of stress levels; however, patients presented more predominance of psychological symptoms. With reference to quality of life, patients and caregivers presented similar results on the social aspects, vitality, mental health, and mental domains.

Conclusion: The mental health characteristics of patients and caregivers were similar, and within the context of dialysis for renal disease, both must undergo specific interventions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a -Anxiety and Depression in Patients and Caregivers. b- Social Support in Patients and Caregivers
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Fatigue and Stress in Patients and Caregivers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Quality of Life in Patients and Caregivers
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Paim J, et al. O sistema de saúde brasileiro: história, avanços e desafios. Lancet. 2011
    1. Fráguas G, Soares SM, Silva PAB. A família no contexto do cuidado ao portador de nefropatia diabética: demandas e recursos. Esc Anna Revista de Enfermagem. 2008;12(2):271–7.
    1. Bastos MG, Kirstajn GM. Chronic kidney disease: importance of early diagnosis, immediate referral and structured interdisciplinary approach to improve outcomes in patients not yet on dialysis. J Bras Nefrol. 2011;33(1):93–108. doi: 10.1590/S0101-28002011000100013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thomas CV, Alchieri JC. Qualidade de vida, depressão e características de personalidades em pacientes submetidos à hemodiálise. Avaliação Psicológica. 2005;4(1):57–64.
    1. Rodrigues TA, Botti NCL. Providing and receiving nursing care during hemodialysis. Acta Paul de Enfermagem. 2009;22:528–30.

MeSH terms