Stress, coping mechanisms and quality of life in hemodialysis patients

<b>Introduction: </b>The aims of the study were to identify the impact of coping mechanisms on quality of life in hemodialysis (HD) patients and to establish the associations between stress factors and coping mechanisms, to evaluate coping mechanisms as significant predictors of physical and mental health, and to identify the effects of demographic and socioeconomic factors on coping mechanisms.<br /> <b>Material and methods: </b> The study included a group of 70 HD patients, 38.6% males and 61.4% females, mean age of 54.55 ±11.70. Data were collected by means of the Hemodialysis Stressors Scale for estimating stress, the <i>Jalowiec Coping Scale </i>(JCS) for identifying coping mechanisms, and the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire for assessing quality of life (QoL).<br /> <b>Results</b>: The frequency of using coping mechanisms is: optimism (M = 2.26 ±0.48), support (M = 2.16 ±0.57), confrontational coping (M = 1.96 ±0.47), one’s own strength (M = 1.94 ±0.46), palliative coping (M = 1.44 ±0.54), emotive coping (M = 1.40 ±0.61), evasive coping (M = 1.39 ±0.46), fatalism (M = 1.23 ±0.74). Emotion-focused coping correlates with the following stressors: role ambiguity (r = 0.33; p = 0.004), dependence on staff (r = 0.25, p = 0.03) and daily activity (r = 0.27, p = 0.02).<br /> <b>Conclusions</b>: Optimism is the most commonly used defense mechanism, assessed as the most effective one. The fatalistic coping mechanism is a significant predictor of mental health, while optimism and palliative coping are significant predictors of physical health.