The Role of Religious Coping in Perception of Suffering among Patients Undergoing Dialysis

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a threatening condition for the health, economic and social status of the affected person, his/her family and society. Objective: With regard to the mental and health issues that patients undergoing dialysis encounter, the current study aimed to examine the role of religious coping in perception of suffering among these patients. Methods: The current correlational study had a statistical population including all patients undergoing dialysis referred to Ali-ibn-Abi-Talib (AS) hospital in Zahedan, Iran, in 2015. The sample included 50 individuals selected using the convenience sampling method. To collect data, the perception of suffering scale and the religious coping scale were used and the obtained data was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis via SPSS. Results: The correlation results showed that religious activities (a dimension of religious coping) and psychological suffering (a dimension of perception of suffering) were significantly and inversely correlated (P < 0.01). Moreover, the results indicated that religious activities (a dimension of religious coping) could predict 0.09 of the variance in psychological pain (a dimension of perception of suffering). Conclusions: The increase in religious and spiritual activities can lead to a decrease in psychological pain among patients undergoing dialysis.