Data-Informed Insights on Thriving Through Challenges: Exploring Posttraumatic Growth, Resilience, and Social Support in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Hemodialysis is one treatment option for end stage renal disease which does not cure the disease completely but increases the patients’ span of life. It imposes a lot of physical and psychological burden on the patients. Identification of factors protecting the patients from these burdens is needed. Recent studies have focused on posttraumatic growth (PTG) as a protective factor against the distressing health outcomes. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the occurrence of PTG in patients on maintenance hemodialysis and examine its association with perceived social support and resilience. A convenience sample of 200 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis was recruited from two government hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. Data was collected using Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Trait Resilience Scale. Individuals undergoing hemodialysis showed high levels of PTG and the mean total score for PTGI was 60.1+ 11.5. Resilience (r = .79, p<.001) and perceived social support (r = .51, p<.001) were significantly correlated with PTG. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated increasing age, longer duration of hemodialysis, and resilience to be significant predictors (p<.001) of PTG in patients and explained 52% of the variance. The results provide helpful information which could be used to develop interventions for patients to transform their adversity into positive growth by improving their resilience and social support.