Depression, Activity Tied to Work Status After Dialysis

Depression, Activity Tied to Work Status After Dialysis
Last Updated: October 01, 2010.

Individuals who remain employed after starting dialysis are less likely to experience possible or probable depression than those who quit working, and higher activity level is associated with a greater likelihood of continued employment, according to a report published online Sept. 30 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

FRIDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals who remain employed after starting dialysis are less likely to experience possible or probable depression than those who quit working, and higher activity level is associated with a greater likelihood of continued employment, according to a report published online Sept. 30 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Nancy G. Kutner, Ph.D., of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues reviewed data from the Comprehensive Dialysis Study, which surveyed dialysis patients about their employment status, disability income status, education, usual activity level, and the presence of depressive symptoms. The purpose of the study was to assess the significance of depression and activity level as predictors of patients' continued employment after beginning dialysis.

The researchers found that only 32.6 percent of 585 patients who were employed in the year before they began dialysis treatment remained employed afterward. Of those who remained employed, only 12.1 percent had possible or probable depression, compared with 32.8 percent of the group that was no longer employed. Higher activity scores were associated with an increased likelihood of continuing employment after dialysis began.

"The importance of providers addressing mood disorders in patients with chronic kidney disease as early as possible and of dialysis facilities screening for depression and managing mood disorders in their patients using strategies such as counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy is increasingly acknowledged," the authors write.

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