Kenneth Taub

Illness intrusiveness and quality of life in end-stage renal disease: comparison and stability across treatment modalities.

Investigated the degree to which chronic, life-threatening illness and its treatment interfere with continued involvements in valued activities and interests--that is, illness intrusiveness--and its impact on quality of life in end-stage renal disease. Data were collected on two occasions separated by a lag of 6 weeks. Mixed analyses of variance indicated that life domains were affected differentially across treatments. Perceived illness intrusiveness correlated significantly with treatment time requirements, uremic symptoms, intercurrent nonrenal illnesses, fatigue, and difficulties in daily activities. Significant quality-of-life differences were observed across treatment modalities for satisfaction/happiness and pessimism/illness-related concerns but not for depression/distress. Perceived illness intrusiveness correlated significantly with each of these quality-of-life measures. Results were stable over time. These findings substantiate the construct of illness intrusiveness as a mediator of the psychosocial impact of chronic, life-threatening illness.

Psychosocial Predictors of Survival in End-Stage Renal Disease

Several psychosocial variables were investigated as predictors of 4-year survival in a sample of 97 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing treatment by hemodialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, or renal transplantation. Hypothesized psychosocial predictors included depression, mood disturbance, life happiness, affect, pessimism, self-esteem, knowledge of renal disease and its treatment, perceived control over important life domains, perceived intrusiveness of ESRD into important life domains, illness-related concerns, difficulties in daily activities, number of regular leisure activities, somatic symptoms of distress, social networks, recent negative life events, and defensive response styles. Methodological controls were incorporated to test the prognostic significance of these variables and included a) exclusion of deaths attributable to “unnatural” causes; b) multivariate statistical controls for physical and demographic determinants of survival; c) widely used standardized psychosocial instruments; and d) temporally aggregated psychosocial measurements to enhance reliability. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified four variables as significant and independent predictors of increased survival times in ESRD: a) comparatively fewer serious nonrenal comorbid illnesses; b) younger age; c) regular involvement in an increased number of leisure activities; and d) overall life happiness described as “an even mixture of unhappiness and happiness” (as compared with “very happy”). However, no evidence was obtained to support the hypothesis that increased depressive symptoms and/or moods contribute to compromised survival in ESRD

The economics of end-stage renal disease care in Canada: incentives and impact on delivery of care.

Examining international differences in health outcomes for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients requires an understanding of ESRD funding structures. In Canada, funding for all aspects of dialysis and transplant care, with the exception of drugs (for which supplementary insurance can be purchased), is provided for all citizens. Although ESRD programs across Canada’s 10 provinces differ in funding structure, they share important economic characteristics, including being publicly funded and universal, and providing most facets of ESRD care for free. This paper explains how ESRD care fits into the Canadian health care system, describes the epidemiology of ESRD in Canada, and offers economic explanations for international discrepancies.

Recurrent pain, illness intrusiveness, and quality of life in end-stage renal disease

&NA; Repeated episodes of headache and muscle cramp were hypothesized to contribute to increased patient perceptions of illness intrusiveness and to compromised quality of life. Standard measures of pain, illness intrusiveness, and quality of life were obtained on 2 occasions, each 6 weeks apart, from 100 end‐stage renal disease patients. The impact of recurrent muscle cramps on perceptions of illness intrusiveness was conditional upon the occurrence of headache symptoms. Perceptions of illness intrusiveness were significantly higher when both muscle cramp and headache symptoms occurred during one or more assessment intervals as compared to when muscle cramps or headaches, only, occurred. Illness‐related concerns and general feelings of pessimism were also significantly higher among patients who experienced recurrent episodes of muscle cramp. Although no direct relations were observed between pain and other quality of life indicators, previous research has documented a relation between illness intrusiveness and quality of life. Recurrent pain problems, thus, appear to contribute to increased illness intrusiveness and to reduced quality of life in end‐stage renal disease patients.

Long-Term Knowledge Retention following Predialysis Psychoeducational Intervention

Background/Aims: Early identification and predialysis psychoeducation are gaining acceptance. Although research supports the immediate value of predialysis interventions, long-term benefits remain unknown. We examined long-term knowledge retention following a psychoeducational intervention. Methods: 47 progressive renal failure patients completed the Kidney Disease Questionnaire at baseline and 18, 30, 42, and 54 months after initiating renal replacement therapy (RRT; the ‘longitudinal’ sample). A larger cohort provided data at one or more of these points (n = 132, 117, 101, and 70 at 18, 30, 42, and 54 months, respectively; the ‘cross-sectional’ sample). Results: Initial knowledge gains among psychoeducation recipients were followed by a significant knowledge advantage for three groups throughout follow-up. Patients who received predialysis psychoeducation either before or after starting dialysis demonstrated superior Kidney Disease Questionnaire scores as compared with those identified before the initiation of RRT who received the usual standard of practice. Patients identified after the initiation of RRT and who received standard education, however, demonstrated the same level of knowledge retention as produced by psychoeducation. The results were identical across the longitudinal and cross-sectional samples. Conclusions: Patient education produces important benefits in end-stage renal disease, but the incremental value of early intervention remains to be demonstrated.

Denial as a defense against depression in end-stage renal disease : An empirical test

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is recognized as imposing severe psychosocial stresses upon patients with the result that depression is believed to be highly prevalent. A number of studies have reported low levels of depression, however, and this contradictory finding has been explained via the construct of defensive denial-i.e., patients may minimize the impact of illness-related experiences upon their overall experiences of life. The present study tested this hypothesis in a sample of seventy ESRD patients. Participants rated a series of twelve life dimensions (e.g., work, family and marital relations, recreation) in terms of perceived intrusiveness and control as well as indicating their perceived similarity using a card sort task. Standard measures of depression, positive and negative moods, somatic symptoms of distress, self-esteem, and life happiness were also obtained via structured interviews. A multidimensional scaling analysis applied to the card sort data indicated that ESRD patients do, indeed, perceive illness-related and nonillness aspects of life as independent. However, an analysis of partial variance-controlling for age and nonrenal health-failed to provide evidence of defensive denial. The suggestion is forwarded that previous findings of a high prevalence of depression in ESRD may be in error due to the misidentification of uremic symptoms as symptoms of depression.