The Effect of Resilience Training on Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life of Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Today, the prevalence of psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression in hemodialysis patients has increased and affected their quality of life. Objectives: Given the relationship between resilience interventions and psychological problems, this study aimed to investigate the effect of resilience training on stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Methods: This was a controlled clinical trial study on 57 hemodialysis patients referred to Fasa city hemodialysis centers from October to December 2019. Patients were selected using a simple sampling method and divided into two groups of intervention (n = 29) and control (n = 28) using the block randomization method. In 12 sessions of a 90-minute workshop, the intervention group was taught resilience skills by a clinical psychologist. Before and after the intervention, stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were measured using the Depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) 21 and SF-36 questionnaires. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20 using t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and chi-Square tests. Results: According to the paired t-test, the patients’ mean score of stress, anxiety, and quality of life significantly decreased in the intervention group (P < 0.001), whereas depression score did not significantly change after the intervention (P = 0.689). The difference in the mean scores of stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of patients' life was not significant in the intervention group before the intervention and in the control group before and after the intervention (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Resilience training reduced stress and anxiety in hemodialysis patients and improved their quality of life. Thus the use of resilience intervention programs along with other methods for hemodialysis patients' care and treatment programs is recommended as a non-invasive, non-pharmacological, inexpensive, and cost-effective method without complications.