The Mediating Role of Emotion Control in the Relationship between Executive-Cognitive Functions and Pain-self Efficacy of Dialysis Patients

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of patients' ability to comprehend, express and control emotions in the relationship between cognitive executive functions and patients’ belief in their abilities regardless of pain called pain self-efficacy. This study was a correlational one, in which 115 patients undergoing hemodialysis were selected through convenience sampling from three dialysis centers in Qom province from 2016 to 2017. The subjects completed emotion control, pain self-efficacy and cognitive executive functions scales. Data were analyzed by calculating Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression and path analysis. The results showed that there is a correlation between pain self-efficacy and cognitive executive functions as a latent variable. There is a direct significant relationship between cognitive executive functions and emotion control. The total score of emotion control has a meaningful relationship with numerical memory score and vocabulary range. Emotion control has a direct and significant effect on pain self-efficacy. The direct and indirect effects of cognitive executive functions on self-efficacy are positive and significant. Pain self-efficacy has a negative and significant relationship with the total score of emotion control (r = 0.339). The pain self-efficacy variable has a negative and significant relationship with the subscales of anger and depressed mood (one of the subscales of emotion control). The results of this study confirm the importance of emotion control as a mediator variable between cognitive executive functions and pain self-efficacy. As a result, using cognitive rehabilitation programs and increased awareness of dialysis patients regarding their emotions can contribute to the development of positive emotions and higher self-efficacy in these patients.