End stage renal disease and the marital dyad: An empirical investigation

Abstract

The psychological well-being of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and spouses was investigated from a dyadic perspective. The responses of patients and spouses from five groups of couples—illustrating different points in the progression and treatment of ESRD—were compared both across ESRD groups and between patients and spouses. Despite the fact that the ESRD groups reflected differences in illness/treatment intrusiveness, no significant differences were found between the ESRD groups, or between patients and spouses, in either marital relations or psychological well-being. However, while for all the participants marital role strain was a significant predictor of psychological well-being, the two dialysis groups evidenced significantly greater correlations between marital role strain and psychological distress than the nondialysis groups. These findings are interpreted as being consistent with a general systems theory approach to the conceptualization and treatment of chronic illness.