PSYCHOSOCIAL-ASPECTS OF SERIOUS RENAL-DISEASE AND DIALYSIS - A REVIEWOF THE LITERATURE

The most severe form of kidney disease is renal failure, a life-threat ening condition known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Though social work intervention is an integral part of the response to serious kidn ey disease, the topic has been noticeably absent in the discipline's l iterature. This article synthesizes the research on the psyche-social aspects of end-stage renal disease, with a particular focus on dialysi s patients at different stages of the life cycle. Social work services are particularly important to dialysis patients because (1) ESRD infl uences patients' psyche-social environments and (2) the psyche-social environments in which ESRD sufferers live impact the course of the dis ease and physical well-being. Intervention issues are discussed. The r eview found that most research on this topic lacks adequate sampling t o generalize to the ESRD population. Future research needs to address this shortcoming and increase sample sizes to allow for statistical co ntrols.