title: Economic, social, and psychological factors associated with health-related quality of life of chronic hemodialysis patients in northern Taiwan: a multicenter study.
abstract: This study evaluated the associations between economic, social, psychological factors, and health-related quality of life of hemodialysis patients. Cross-sectional study design was used. End-stage renal disease patients who had received maintenance hemodialysis for more than 2 months at 14 centers in northern Taiwan were invited to participate. Demographic, economic, and psychosocial data of patients were collected. Depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. Health-related quality of life was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. Eight hundred sixty-one patients (373 males, mean age 59.4 +/- 13.2 years) completed the study. Higher monthly income was positively associated with role emotional and mental health (P < 0.05), and so was increased frequency of social activities with social functioning (P < 0.05). The more worries, the stronger the inverse associations with social functioning (P < 0.05) and mental health (P < 0.01). Higher depression scores were associated with lower scores of all Short-Form 36 dimensions (P < 0.01). Higher monthly income and increased social activities are associated with better health-related quality of life, whereas more worries and higher depression scores are associated with worse health-related quality of life of hemodialysis patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tze-Wah
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Mei-Shu
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Tun-Jun
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chyi-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Wei-Chu
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chie
authors.forename: Wan-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013624:Taiwan