Religion and Spiritual Health in Patients With and Without Depression Receiving Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study

Abstract

Background Hemodialysis is the most common therapy for managing patients with end-stage renal disease. Depression is one of the most common psychological problems faced by dialysis patients, and there is limited research on the influences of religion and spirituality on dialysis patients. Purpose This study was designed to compare religion and spiritual health status between hemodialysis patients with and without depressive symptoms. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 137 hemodialysis patients living in Taiwan. The self-report instruments used included the Religious Beliefs Scale, Spiritual Health Scale-Short Form, and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Data were analyzed using t test, chi-square test, point-biserial correlation of variance, and logistic regression. Results Most (63.5%) of the participants were classified with depression, of which most were male (70.1%), older (mean = 62.56 years), and unemployed (73.6%) and had less formal education. Fifty-two of the participants with depression had a 1- to 5-year duration of hemodialysis, whereas the nondepressed group had a higher mean score for number of religious activities, positive religious beliefs, and total score for spiritual health. Logistic regression showed an increased odds ratio (OR) of depression for participants with a duration of hemodialysis of 1–5 years (OR = 3.64, 95% CI [1.01, 13.15]). Participants with higher scores for spiritual health had a lower risk of depression (OR = 0.82, 95% CI [0.75, 0.90]), indicating a positive association between spiritual health and lower depression risk. Conclusions/Implications for Practice The prevalence rate of depression in hemodialysis patients is higher than that in the general population. Providing screenings for spiritual health and depression as part of routine medical care for hemodialysis patients is recommended to detect spiritual distress and depression early.

Benefit finding in individuals undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in Shanghai: a latent profile analysis

“…However, it is important to acknowledge that a small number of individuals still exhibit extremely low levels of BF. Despite previous reports of poor psychological states in individuals on MHD, including a propensity for anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems ( Elezi et al, 2023 ; Liu et al, 2024 ), this study recognizes the strong inner resilience in most of them ( Wang et al, 2024 ). Most of the individuals have the ability to accept the negative events of dialysis and demonstrate positive psychology, i.e., they can find benefits ( Li et al, 2018 ).…”