How Many Years Should I Do Dialysis? Self-Compassion, Emotional Exhaustion and Life Expectancy in Hemodialysis Patients: A Semi-Experimental Research

Objective: Health behaviors reduces the side effects associated with chronic disease. Decreased life expectancy and emotional exhaustion are side effects of hemodialysis. This study aims to examine the effect of self-compassion-based training on life expectancy and emotional exhaustion in hemodialysis patients. Methods: This study was a semi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test type with a one-month follow-up. A total of ۴۰ volunteer dialysis patient were randomly allocated to two groups, the compassion training group (n = ۲۰), and the control group (n=۲۰) that received no treatment. Data collected with Schneider's life expectancy and Chang’s emotional exhaustion questionnaire. The program lasted ۸ weeks, with each session lasting ۱ h and ۱۵ min. Research hypotheses assessed with multivariate analysis of covariance, analysis of variance and comparison of means with T-test in three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up using SPSS ۲۶ version. Results: The results showed that, the life expectancy increase and emotional exhaustion decrease of hemodialysis patients in the experimental group were significantly different (p<۰.۰۵). Self-compassion- based training had effect on increasing the life expectancy in the post-test group (۰.۷۶۸) and in the follow-up group (۰.۶۳۷). Also, this intervention was effective in reducing emotional exhaustion with the effect size in the post-test (۰.۵۸۷) and in the follow-up group (۰.۴۷۴) (p<۰.۰۵). Conclusions: Teaching treatment based on self-compassion have a good effect on increasing life expectancy and reducing emotional exhaustion of hemodialysis patients. It is suggested that hemodialysis centers use training based on self-compassion with other treatments.

Keywords:

Dialysis , Self-Compassion , Emotional Exhaustion , Life Expectancy , Hemodialysis Patients