The effect of coping strategies training on hemodialysis patient's quality of life

The hemodialysis patients, who are able to make better use of adaptive techniques, accept the treatment easier and will have a higher quality of life. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of training of coping methods (problem-focused and emotion-focused) on quality of life in hemodialysis patients. This was a one-group before- after quasi-experimental design, in which 38 hemodialysis patients admitted at the Ali ebn Abi Talib Hospital in Rafsanjan 2010, were included. Quality of life questionnaire (SF36) and Lazarus Jalowiece Coping Style Questionnaire were used to measure the patient's quality of life and coping styles before intervention. Coping strategies were then trained and quality of life and coping styles were measured again after intervention. Data analysis was performed with SPSS Software Version 18 using paired t-test, ANOVA and Fisher's exact test. Most of the subjects were female, married, with a mean (SD) age of 51.42 ± 20/50 years. The mean score of quality of life was 89.03±19.35 before versus 98.89±16 after intervention. The mean score of quality of life was increased 9.85 after training compared to the baseline. Paired t-test showed significant difference between the scores of quality of life before and after intervention (p<0.0001). The results indicated that coping methods training can promote the use of problem-based instead of emotion-focused coping strategies, which intern could enhance patient's quality of life.