Psychological Characteristics of Patients Treated by Chronic Maintenance Hemodialysis

Studies related to psychological aspects of dialysis patients show that depression and anxiety are the most common characteristics. The aim of our study was to analyze the personality profile in patients on chronic maintenance dialysis and to evaluate more specifically the level of depression. The total number of patients was 68 (30 females and 38 males), with mean age 62.3 and 56.5 for females and males respectively. Mean duration of dialysis was 6.73 years for females and 6.68 years for men (the period varied from 0.5 to 18 years). For the evaluation of psychological characteristics, we used two psychometric instruments: Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI- 201) and Beck Depression Inventory. The obtained results confirmed the presence of depression in patients treated with hemodialysis. The level of depression is variable (minimal is present in 21.43%; mild in 35.71%; moderate in 17.85% and severe in 14.28% of patients). The depression is significantly positively correlated with age (p