Temperament and Character Profiles of Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Abstract

The aim of this present study was to evaluate the temperament and character profiles of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients and to compare the results with those of healthy controls. The study population consisted of 39 hemodialysis patients (24 female, 15 male) and 30 peritoneal dialysis patients (16 female, 14 male), with 39 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects (24 female, 15 male). All participants were instructed to complete a self-administered 240-item temperament and character inventory (TCI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The TCI assesses four dimensions of temperament, namely, novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), and persistence (P) and three dimensions of character, being self-directedness (SD), cooperativeness (C), and self-transcendence (ST). There were significant differences between the patient groups and healthy controls regarding main NS scores, and there were significant differences between hemodialysis patients and controls regarding SD scores. There was no difference between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients regarding depression and anxiety scores. There were no significant correlations between TCI scores and laboratory variables. Studies in this area may lead to the development of specific and focused interventions for temperament and character profiles in HD and PD patients. We suggest that evaluation and treatment of ESRD patients should also include psychosomatic approaches in clinical practice.