title: Psychosocial disability during maintenance hemodialysis.
abstract: Overall psychosocial functioning was assessed in 21 maintenance hemodialysis patients. The Ruesch Social Disability Scale, which provides an overall Social Disability (DS) score as well as subscores for Physical Impairment (PI), Behavioral Impairment (BI), and Social Modifiers (MS), was utilized. A majority of the patients (13) experienced Major Social Disability and the mean DS score of this sample was in the Major Social Disability range (mean = 52.1 +/- 10.9). There were no differences between the mean DS score of men and women. Married patients had DS scores significantly lower than those who were divorced or never married (P less than .05). Patients with more than five years of maintenance hemodialysis had a mean DS score significantly higher than those with less then five years of maintenance hemodialysis (P less than .03). In those patients with more than five years of hemodialysis, the MS scale was significantly elevated (P less than .01) in comparison with their counterparts, whereas the BI and PI scores were not different. The data suggest that serious psychosocial impairment is a common sequela of maintenance hemodialysis, especially for long-term patients and those who are not married. Therapeutic approaches directed toward improved social functioning are indicated.
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000523:psychology*