Religiosity and subjective well-being in haemodialysis patients

Chronic illnesses are situations in which medical interventions are inconclusive and require periodic monitoring and support care to increase the level of self-care and responsibility of the patient and to improve his functionality. Chronic renal failure, which is one of the chronic diseases, is a serious health problem having an important place in society. It can quickly lower people below the poverty line in terms of health care, care and treatment costs. Psychosocial problems such as body image changes, life-style distortion, reduction in self-confidence, sadness, anger, helplessness, constant crying, despair, anxiety, social withdrawal, loss of role in family and work life, fear of becoming dependent, social isolation and fear of death may occur with these patients. Therefore, the more positive affect, the less negative affect and the life satisfaction, which form the basis of subjective well-being, appear to be very difficult for the patients. In this context, it has been assumed that religion can function as an effective mediator in coping with these negativities and increasing patient subjective well-being. The general purpose of this doctoral dissertation, which is a field research, is to determine the religiousness and subjective well-being levels of patients with chronic renal failure, who are receiving haemodialysis treatment with a descriptive approach and by using socio-psychological methods and try to determine the relation between religiosity and subjective well-being. Interpretation of findings of the effects of religious coping approaches on subjective well-being of participants from a psychological point of view is also among the aims of the study. Accordingly, twenty-three hypotheses related to the topic have been developed and the hypotheses have been tested according to the result of the findings. The sample of the research consists of 205 individuals who were determined by stratified random sampling method from the patients treated in T.R. Ministry of Health, Hitit University Çorum Erol Olçok Training and Research Hospital and Çorum District Dialysis Units. Of the patients participating in the study, 54.1% (111 persons) are males and 45.9% (94 persons) are females. 5 Likert-type "Religiosity Inventory" and "Subjective Well-Being Scale" were used to determine participants' religiosity and subjective well-being as well as "Personal Information Form", which contains demographic characteristics determined according to the criteria of the study as data collection tools. In addition, interviews were made with a group of 20 people selected by criterion sampling method in accordance with the sample distribution participated in the survey. In the interviews, the participants were asked to answer the pre-determined questions and their answers were recorded. The data from deciphering of the voice recordings were arranged and classified as data sets, and then the themes were separated and interpreted with the help of the NVivo 9.0 program. Statistical analysis techniques such as t-test, one way variance analysis (ANOVA), Pearson Moments Correlation Analysis, Simple Linear Regression Analysis were used in the analysis of quantitative data of the study. Scheffe and LSD tests were used in the groups with homogeneous variances and Tamhane's T2 test was used in the groups in which the variances were not homogeneous in order to determine the source of the differences in the cases where the F value obtained was significant as a result of the analysis of variance. The maximum margin of error in the research was taken as at least 0.05. Findings obtained through qualitative measurement in the study were sometimes used to interpret the data obtained by means of quantitative measurement. As a result of the research, significant differences and relationships between demographic variables and religiosity, demographic variables and subjective well-being have been determined statistically. Moreover, according to the findings by both methods; it has been found that there is a statistically significant relationship between the levels of religiousness and subjective well-being of the participants and that religiosity accounts for 31.9% of subjective well-being variance. These findings have shown that religiosity is a significant and important predictor of subjective well-being. The findings of the research also reveal that positive religious coping methods are frequently used by the sample and religious motivated positive coping approaches have positive contribution on subjective well-being of the patient. Keywords: Haemodialysis, Religiosity, Subjective Well-Being, Religious Coping, Happiness, Life Satisfaction.