Life satisfaction and coping of diabetic hemodialysis patients

End-stage diabetic patients who are dependent on hemodialysis live with multiple deficits and discomforts. Their quality of life would seem dismal to others. The perceptions of the patients themselves, however, might be quite different. In this descriptive study, 12 such patients were interviewed using Cantril's Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. The mean satisfaction rating for the anticipated future was almost as high as the past, despite experiencing a long-standing downward health spiral. Content analysis of the interviews suggested coping patterns of people who are living with a chronic disease.