Investigation of the relationship between social support and symptom status in patients receiving hemodialysis

This study was conducted as a descriptive study to examine the relationship between social support and symptom status in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. The study was carried out between September 2022 and January 2023, at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Dialysis Center, Türkoğlu Dr. It was carried out in Kemal Beyazıt State Hospital Dialysis Center and Private 12 February Dialysis Center with the necessary permissions. The sample of the study consisted of 164 patients who received hemodialysis treatment for at least six months, were 18 years of age and older, had no communication problems. Data were collected using the Patient Descriptive Characteristics Form, which includes patients' socio-demographic and medical information, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Dialysis Symptom Index. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS Statistics 18 package program, Dunnett-C technique, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests.The mean score of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support of the patients participating in the study was found to be 52.98±16.63, the mean score of the family subscale was 24.66±5.73, the mean score of the friend subscale was 14.91±8.53, and the mean score of the special human subscale was 13.41±7.90.Perceived social support was significantly higher in male, married, high-education, working, and well-income patients. The mean Dialysis Symptom Index score of the patients was found to be 66.80±22.88 at a moderate level. The patients mostly experienced the problems of feeling tired/decreased in energy, difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, feeling sad and anxious; stated that they experienced at least the symptoms of diarrhea, chest pain, swelling in the legs, vomiting, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and muscle aches. The symptom experience status of patients in the advanced age group, female, with low education level, with other comorbidities and who could not meet their daily needs independently, was found to be significantly higher. A negative, weak and statistically significant relationship was found between the scale mean scores. It was recommended that hemodialysis nurses evaluate patients' social support and symptom status with valid and reliable measurement tools, plan nursing care by taking into account the social support and sociodemographic and medical characteristics that affect the severity of the patients' symptoms, and include the patient and his family in the care process.