title: End stage renal disease and the marital dyad: an empirical investigation.
abstract: The psychological well-being of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and spouses was investigated from a dyadic perspective. The responses of patients and spouses from five groups of couples--illustrating different points in the progression and treatment of ESRD--were compared both across ESRD groups and between patients and spouses. Despite the fact that the ESRD groups reflected differences in illness/treatment intrusiveness, no significant differences were found between the ESRD groups, or between patients and spouses, in either marital relations or psychological well-being. However, while for all the participants marital role strain was a significant predictor of psychological well-being, the two dialysis groups evidenced significantly greater correlations between marital role strain and psychological distress than the nondialysis groups. These findings are interpreted as being consistent with a general systems theory approach to the conceptualization and treatment of chronic illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, PQ, Canada.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Chowanec
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Binik
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000523:psychology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological