Mental adjustment, coping strategies, and psychological distress among end-stage renal disease patients

Objective: The study examines the association between mental adjustment, coping strategies [emotion (EF) and problem focused (PF)], and psychological distress. Method: Sixty end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients were interviewed a year or more after they began dialysis, measured by the COPE, Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC), and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) scales. Results: The main findings indicate that patients with a strong fighting spirit are in less psychological distress. Moreover, patients who tend to use PF strategies rely on a fighting spirit as an adjustment coping style. Conclusion: ESRD patients in the adjustment phase (patients diagnosed at least 1 year previously) tend to struggle to lead as normal a life as possible despite the dependency caused by the illness. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.