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. 2023 Aug 31:14:1247801.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1247801. eCollection 2023.

Depression and death anxiety among patients undergoing hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine: a cross sectional study

Mohammed Ibrahim  1 , Elias Saeed  1 , Islam Hamarsheh  1 , Hamzeh Al Zabadi  2 , Muna Ahmead  3
Affiliations

Depression and death anxiety among patients undergoing hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine: a cross sectional study

Mohammed Ibrahim et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Hemodialysis patients are vulnerable to serious complications such as prolonged hospital stay and psychosocial issues like depression and death anxiety. Studies on psychosocial factors on end-stage renal disease patients' outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic are limited. We aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and death anxiety among Palestinian hemodialysis patients and the evaluate the relationship between their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling technique. We recruited 308 hemodialysis patients from five hemodialysis units located in government hospitals in Palestine. Beck Depression Inventory and the Templers Death Anxiety Scale were used to collect data, which were then analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and means), t-test, ANOVA and multiple linear regression models were used for data analysis.

Results: Nearly 66.2% of the sample had depression symptoms, 61.4% met the diagnostic threshold for depression, and 69.8% had death anxiety. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis revealed that having a female identity, residing in a city or refugee camp, and patients who reported not experiencing depression had a significant relationship with death anxiety, while having a higher educational level than 12 years, having one or more chronic co-morbidities, and patients who reported experiencing death anxiety had a significant correlation with depression.

Conclusion: Patients receiving hemodialysis frequently experience depression and death anxiety. These patients should receive a psychiatric evaluation in the early stages of their illness so that timely and appropriate psychological interventions can be given in hemodialysis facilities in Palestine during and after future pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; death anxiety; depression; hemodialysis; pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of death anxiety and depression score categories.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter-plot correlation between death anxiety and depression scores. Lines represent 95% CI of the mean difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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