Objective
to analyze the correlation between sexual function, depressive symptomatology and quality of life of people on hemodialysis treatment.
Method
a cross-sectional study developed with 54 participants. Data collection occurred between the months of March and May 2020. The data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney and Spearman Correlation tests, with a 95% confidence interval.
Results
the correlation between sexual function and depressive symptomatology was only clinically relevant for women (ρ= -0.724). Regarding quality of life, it was observed that the overall sexual function of men is negatively correlated with the pain dimension (ρ= -0.349) and with the social function (ρ= -0.347). For women, overall sexual function is positively correlated with physical function (ρ= 0.501), general health (ρ= 0.737), mental component (ρ= 0.497), sleep (ρ= 0.753), quality of social interaction (ρ= 0.621), and patient satisfaction (ρ= 0.457).
Conclusion and implications for the practice
increased sexual function was strongly correlated with reduced depressive symptoms and increased quality of life, implying the need to strengthen sexual approaches through protocols that provide referral flows to specialized trans-disciplinary teams.
Keywords:
Renal Dialysis; Renal Insufficiency; Mental Health; Public Health; Sexuality