Factors related to depression in end-stage renal disease patients

High prevalence rates of depression have been well documented in patients with chronic kidney disease (Egede, 2007; U.S. Renal Data System, 2013). Furthermore, depression seems to play a major role in the mortality and morbidity rates of this population (Kellerman, Christensen, Baldwin, & Lawton, 2010; U.S. Renal Data System, 2013). Therefore this study aimed to discover factors that may influence depression in this population. Ten end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients’ depression scores were examined in relation to various sociodemographic measures. High depression scores had a significantly negative relationship with social functioning, overall quality of life, and age. A combined model of social functioning, sleep quality, and age provides a stronger prediction than any variable alone. Results suggest that targeting social functioning, sleep quality, and age should be the focus of future studies examining interventions of these factors as augmentations to current pharmacological treatments of depression in ESRD populations