Illness acceptance and quality of life among end state renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis

Objective: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) has changed in patients’ physical, mental, and social activities. ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis may adapt their chronic condition by building illness acceptance, and it may influence their quality of life. The aim of the study is to explore illness acceptance, quality of life, and the correlation between illness acceptance and quality of life among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Method: The study was cross-sectional design with the consecutive sampling of 114 ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Data were collected by the completion questionnaire of sociodemographic, Acceptance of Illness Scale and WHO Quality of Life-BREF. Results: The mean score of illness acceptance of participants was M (SD) = 24.71 (6.19) and more than half participants (50.9%) had moderate illness acceptance. The mean score of total quality of life was 82.54 (SD = 11.63). The psychological domain was the highest mean score, and physical health was the lowest mean score among participants. There was a weak positive correlation between illness acceptance and quality of life among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis (r = .256, p < .05). Conclusion: This study shows that higher illness acceptance contributes to higher quality of life. Physical health domain of quality of life ESRD patients is needed for improvement.