Chronic renal failure is a systemic disease that provokes the loss of autonomy of the patient leading to physical limitations, work restrictions, and social losses. Patients with this type of pathology are usually treated by hemodialysis, a rigorous and debilitating treatment. The goal of this study was to assess levels of stress and anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis at the Instituto do Rim clinic in Natal in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory and the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory were used for the data collection. The sample (n=100) showed homogeneity in relation to gender, with a mean age of 46 and a predominance of married and retired individuals, with low family incomes. The results showed that the majority of the patients (71%) suffered high levels of stress, specifically in the resistance phase, and the incidence of psychological symptoms was greater than the physical manifestations. Furthermore, all the individuals presented moderate (66%) or high levels (34%) of anxiety. According to these data patients with chronic renal failure showed high levels of stress and anxiety.
Stress; Anxiety; Hemodialysis; Renal patients
