Introduction:
Stress management in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis is a significant challenge in modern nephrology. Mindfulness emerged as a promising intervention for stress reduction; however, its application in hemodialysis context remains underexplored in Brazil. This narrative explores an ongoing pioneer study seeking to evaluate the impact of a mindfulness intervention on perceived stress levels in hemodialysis patients at Renal Class Clinic in São Paulo, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).
Methods:
A quasi-experimental study was conducted in two groups of 13 participants each, randomly selected based on the sole criteria of having good cognitive ability. Gender wise, participants were 16 male and 10 female. Experimental group had 7 male and 6 female participants, while the control group had 9 male and 4 female. Participants' age range was between 30 and 92 years old.
The experimental group received mindfulness intervention, while the control group didn't receive any intervention. Participants' perceived stress levels were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), with results categorized into low, moderate, and high levels.
Results: In the experimental group, 9 participants (69%) presented low stress and 4 (31%) moderate stress, with no cases of high stress as shown in Image 01. In the control group, shown in Image 02, 10 participants (77%) exhibited moderate stress, 2 (15.5%) high stress, and 1 (7.5%) low stress.
Results:
Significant differences were observed between the groups. The experimental group demonstrated a higher prevalence of low stress and absence of high stress, suggesting that the mindfulness intervention may have contributed to reducing stress levels. The control group showed a predominance of moderate stress and included a case of high stress, indicating greater variability in stress levels. These preliminary results suggest a positive effect of mindfulness intervention on reduction of perceived stress levels in hemodialysis patients. The higher proportion of participants with low stress in the experimental group, in contrast withpredominance of moderate stress in the control group, indicates that mindfulness may be an effective tool in managing stress in this population.
Conclusions:
The findings of this study highlight the potential of mindfulness as an effective complementary intervention on stress management in CKD patients in undergoing hemodialysis. The more favorable distribution of stress levels in the experimental group suggests that the practice of mindfulness can offer significant benefits for the emotional well-being of these patients. The results pave the way for a more integrative approach to CKD treatment, where mental health care is considered a fundamental part of the therapeutic process. It is recommended to conduct broader and longitudinal studies to validate and expand these findings, potentially influencing future care guidelines in nephrology and other specialties dealing with chronic diseases.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.