Study of coping styles among dialysis patients

Introduction: Hemodialysis patients face with many challenges in their daily life requiring them touse coping strategies for adjustment. The purpose of this study was to determine the coping stylesamong Iranian dialysis patients.Materials and Methods: In a case-control study, one hundred consecutive hemodialysis patientsreferred to Hemodialysis center of Noor hospital, Isfahan, were selected based on the inclusive andexclusive criteria and compared to one hundred normal people randomly selected from populationvisiting inpatients and they were matched with case group. Data collected by using a demographicquestionnaire and the Jalowiec Coping Scale, and then MANCOVA and co-variance were used toanalyze the data.Results: The findings of MANCOVA showed significant difference between two groups in copingstyles (P= 0.0001). Also, the results of covariance indicated significant differences in three copingstyles including confrontive coping style (P= 0.0001), evasive coping style (P= 0.002) and palliativecoping style (P= 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in other coping styles betweentwo groups.Conclusion: Generally, the findings confirmed that the hemodialysis patients have low tendency touse confrontive coping style. The commonly used coping strategies among the hemodialysis patientsin deal with stresses are evasive and palliative coping styles. Thus, it seems that the hemodialysispatients deal with challenges due to their illness and treatment predominately by using emotionorientedcoping styles. The findings emphasis the role of hemodialysis patients` psychologicalappraisal from challenges due to their illness and treatment, or new concept called “illnessrepresentation” in coping styles.