Improving Psychosocial Health in Hemodialysis Patients After a Disaster

Twenty-two social workers implemented a cognitive-behavioral intervention with 69 patients in 22 dialysis units in Louisiana to improve psychosocial health following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires measured psychosocial status domains (general health status, social functioning, burden of kidney disease, depressed mood, anxiety, and mastery). Participants rated their general health status (p .05) and social functioning (p .05) significantly higher after the intervention. Participants who listened to the class Managing stress through communication and problem solving and discussed it with their social worker, had significant improvement in depressed mood score (p .05) after completing the program, compared to participants who did not discuss this material with their social worker. Sixty-five percent had scores indicating depressed mood before the program, compared with 56% following. The more positive participants' program evaluation, the higher their quality of life (lower perceived burden of kidney disease [p = .05]).