Coping strategies and styles of hemodialysis patients by gender

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of gender to coping strategies of patients on hemodialysis.

Nonexperimental, retrospective.

A stratified random sample of 15 male and 15 female hemodialysis subjects was obtained from two privately owned outpatient hemodialysis centers in North Carolina.

All subjects completed a demographic data form and the Jalowiec Coping Scle. A t-test was performed on the overall mean scores for the total coping scale.

There was not a statistically significant difference between gender and coping strategies of patients on hemodialysis. However, the data suggest that male and female hemodialysis patients predominately used emotion-focused coping strategies. Patients on hemodialysis less than 8 years, between the ages of 50 and 60, and who had an educational level less than twelfth grade, used more emotion-focused coping strategies.

No significant difference was noted between the overall coping scores for men and women. The variables of length of time on hemodialysis, age, and education could have an education on the choice of coping strategies and coping scores for men and women.