| Abstract: | Depression is a common emotional problem among end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, but there is a paucity of research comparing the prevalence of depression between patients in different types of renal replacement therapies in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of depression among ESRD patients in Taiwan who received different treatment regimens, and to determine the factors related to depression among these participants across various treatment regimens. A convenience sample of 342 participants was recruited from two medical centres. Participants were diagnosed with ESRD and received one of three renal replacement therapies, and screened for depression using the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (TDQ). The prevalence of depression (defined as TDQ score above 19) varied by treatment type: 36·3% (27/102) among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, 18·5% (17/92) among haemodialysis (HD) patients and 14·8% (21/142) among transplant patients. There were significant differences in the TDQ scores between the three treatment types (p < 0·001), indicating that participants' depression status varied by treatment type. Prevalence of depression among PD patients was higher than among HD and transplant patients. Logistic regression analysis revealed that treatment duration (p < 0·01) was a predictor of PD patients' depression, whereas self‐reported health status was a predictor of depression among both HD patients (p < 0·01) and transplant patients (p < 0·05). Screening for and treatment of depression should be important parts of the standard care of ESRD patients. Pre‐ and post‐therapy counselling by nurses and early recognition of emotional difficulties may also help these patients adapt to psychosocial stressors. |
