Comparison of spiritual well-being levels of patients receiving hemodialysis treatment and renal transplantation

This descriptive, multi-center study aimed to compare the spiritual well-being levels of patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment and those who had undergone renal transplantation. The study included 114 patients who met the inclusion criteria from a sample size determined by power analysis, recruited from both a public and a private hospital between January 2024 and June 2024, and was completed with a total of 120 patients. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire and the Three-Factor Spiritual Well-Being Scale. The scale consists of 29 items and three sub-dimensions, and is rated on a five-point Likert scale. The total score of the scale ranges from 29 to 145, with higher scores indicating greater spiritual well-being. Prior to the study, necessary permissions were obtained from the institutions where the research was conducted, the patients, and the ethics committee. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t-tests, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis, with a significance level set at p<0.05. The average total score of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was found to be 131.95±8.48 for patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment, and 130.35±10.62 for those who had undergone renal transplantation. Among the hemodialysis patients, it was determined that the transcendence subscale score was significantly associated with educational level and the presence of a caregiver, while the nature harmony subscale score was significantly associated with the belief that spirituality helps with coping and spiritual practices. The anomie subscale score was significantly associated only with the belief that spirituality helps with coping, and the total score was significantly associated with the duration of end-stage renal disease diagnosis and spiritual practices. For patients who had undergone renal transplantation, significant associations were found between age (except for the anomie subscale), gender and the nature harmony subscale score, and employment status, belief in spirituality as a coping aid, and the presence of a caregiver for the anomie subscale score. In conclusion, both groups of patients exhibited high spiritual well-being scale scores, with hemodialysis patients showing higher mean scores than renal transplant patients. Based on these findings, it is recommended that nurses assess the spiritual needs of both hemodialysis and renal transplant patients and support spiritual practices as part of care.