Health-related quality of life and coping strategies of patients on hemodialysis in selected hospitals in Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: The study assessed the quality of life (QoL) and coping strategies of patients on hemodialysis in selected hospitals in Ilorin, Kwara State. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional design using a quantitative strategy. A multistage sampling technique was adopted to select 80 participants. The data were collected using an adapted questionnaire including four sections: sociodemographic characteristics, hemodialysis stressor scale consisting of four stressors, Jaloweic Coping Scale consisting of eight coping strategies, and QoL consisting of four items. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Findings from the study revealed that 50% of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 39 years, 40% of the participants have been on hemodialysis for 1–2 years, whereas 52.5% had hypertension as a comorbidity. A total of 12.5%, 63.8%, and 23.8% of the respondents were categorized as experiencing low, moderate, and high stress due to hemodialysis, respectively. QoL of the respondents revealed that 49.4% had no problem in self-care dimension. Average monthly income ( χ 2 = 16.36, P = 0.04) was observed to be significantly associated with coping strategies, whereas religion ( χ 2 = 11.14, P = 0.03) and frequency of hemodialysis ( χ 2 = 10.26, P = 0.04) were significantly associated with coping helpfulness. Conclusion: All participants experienced stress at varying degrees. Hemodialysis results in marked changes in the quality of patients’ life, since it includes a number of modifications and restrictions, which affects patients’ health functioning. This study revealed a wide range of information on the psychological and physiological stressors of people under hemodialysis.