Relationship of demoralization with anxiety, depression, and demographics of Chinese dialysis patients

Objective:The purpose of this study is to investigate the demoralization level of dialysis patients in China and analyze the influencing factors.Materials and Methods:A convenience sample of 278 dialysis patients from a tertiary hospital participated in a cross-sectional descriptive study using a structured questionnaire including assessments of demographic data,Demoralization Scale-II(DS-II),and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.The main analysis consisted of descriptive statistics,correlation coefficients,and multiple linear regression.Results:The mean standard deviation DS-II score was 11.87(7.72).Dialysis patients had a high level of demoralization.Findings from multiple linear regression indicated that demoralization was positively correlated with marital status(β=0.141;P=0.001),employment status(β=0.113;P=0.006),anxiety(β=0.393;P<0.001),and depression(β=0.224;P<0.001).These variables explained 57.1%of the variance in patient demoralization.Conclusions:Demoralization is common in dialysis patients and is associated with marital status,employment status,anxiety,and depression.Health-care providers might regularly assess demoralization in dialysis patients,and develop related interventions to improve the quality of life.