Dialysis Study for Thesis Project.. Participants Needed!!

[nightscape]

Hello and thank you for checking out my study! My name is Josh Neal and I am working on my Masters of Social Work degree at Cal State Long Beach. I am working on my thesis which is titled "Social Service Needs for Young Adults Undergoing Dialysis Treatment." I picked this as my topic because my brother, who is currently 24 years old, is on dialysis and I am his caregiver because he does at home hemodialysis. When I found out that he would be on dialysis I looked online and found very little research that looks at age in relation to coping strategies and perceived challenges. Most of the studies had an average age of 50-60 years old, and my argument is that a 21 year old will have different coping techniques when compared to someone 51 years old.

I am looking for individuals that are between the ages of 18-30 and currently undergoing dialysis treatment. The interview will consist of questions regarding basic demographics, coping techniques, perceived barriers, and available resources. The interview can be conducted in person, over the phone, or by email. Below you will find my recruitment flyer, if you are interested you can contact me by the phone number of email listed or message/reply here. Thank you for your time and consideration!

[MooseMom]

What do you see as being the biggest difference in the needs of, say, a 25 year old dialysis patient and a, say, 45 year old dialysis patient?  What kind of special interventions and policies do you see as being necessary for the 25 year old but not for the 45 year old?

Some dialyzors in your target age group might have children themselves.  Are you going to address the special needs that a young mother or father might need to have addressed?  What about the young mother or father who might find themselves as single parents?

Best of luck in your research!  We have plenty of younger IHD members who I am sure will be happy to assist. 
 
 

[nightscape]

MooseMom good questions. The biggest difference between younger adults on dialysis and middle ages or older adults on dialysis is that they are at different developmental stages, which in turn means that they will generally utilize different coping techniques. Some of my hypotheses are that younger adults utilize peer support while middle aged and older adults utilize family support support more often. I believe perceived barriers would be different as well. Younger adults are at that stage where they want to make personal commitments such as being a spouse, finding a meaningful career, go to college, etc. They might see dialysis as hindering their options of being independent and making something of their life. Middle aged adults and older adults might have different barriers. This is all hypothetical and is why I am doing this study, I may be completely wrong and they all use the same coping techniques and have the same barriers. There is a ton of research on middle age and older adults on dialysis, I will compare my results to current literature and see if there are any differences.

This study is really just focusing on the individual on dialysis and not the parents or family, but some of my questions do ask how involved family/friends are with the dialysis treatment and how it affects your family (this could be where they would talk about their own child if they have any). If they do have a child and they meet my age group I hope they could share what special needs they require and what barriers they have. You do bring up a very good point and I believe that parents who are going through dialysis can be a study by itself, and this will be mentioned in my thesis for future researchers.

Thanks for your time and feedback! 

[MooseMom]

I will be very interested to see if differences in coping mechanisms are more a function of age; I suspect it might be more a function of personality, but I could very well be wrong.  I'm also interested to see if it is true that younger people rely more on peer support.  I have read too many posts from younger people on this site who feel left behind by their peers; their peers are not interested/adept at dealing with a chronically ill friend.  "Youth" and "chronic illness" don't go together very well.

Families are not always supportive.  Older dialyzors often find that dialysis puts a lot of pressure on a marriage, and the burden of trying to protect your children from your disease and dialysis can be very difficult to bear.  Family members can be just as oblivious to a 51 year old's needs as a young person can be to the needs of their college aged friend.

I'd be interested to know...what do you see as the coping mechanisms available to the 51 year old?  Maybe you could tell me some!

Good luck!  If you'd care to post your results/your paper, I'd love to read it.

[nightscape]

Thanks MooseMom for your interest   I decided to attach my literature review that I have done so far, in it you can see what some researchers have found to be coping techniques for dialysis patients. It is not finish yet but a good 20 pages just for that chapter in my thesis. When I am all finished it will be published and available to anyone, so I will definitely post it here for everyone to see the results. I have received a few messages already and can tell this site is going to really help me with my research, I am very grateful for that.

I work in an adult day health care as a social work assistant (soon to be social worker  ) and have several clients that are in their 50's and 60's and undergo dialysis treatment. Like you stated some families are definitely not supportive which is why unfortunately dialysis can lead to depression, isolation, anxiety, etc. One way that I work with my older population is by looking into their past and what they have overcome before. Most of my dialysis patients have had other serious illnesses as well such as cancer, stroke, or heart attacks. I then look at what helped them overcome their challenges in the past and build upon their own strengths. Personality is DEFINITELY a huge factor to how people cope with any illness, you nailed that on the head, which is why I also feel that there should be individually based interventions. But there are of course common themes that emerge. Some common coping techniques that my older adults use would be spirituality, support groups, and family if possible.

Sorry for the rambling I am passionate about all of this, feel free to read my literature review that is attached and thanks again for your interest!

Josh

[MooseMom]

Well, phooey...I can't seem to open your attachment.  I'm sure it is very interesting, though.  I'm probably doing something wrong that prevents me from opening the file.  I'll keep trying to open it because it sounds really interesting.  I'm glad you've found something to be passionate about; I have no doubt that a lot of people might well benefit from your research, so thank you for your interest.

[mogee]

I would imagine that gender is a significant factor in determining coping strategies.  Men and women not only have different ways of finding support, they also have different ways of being sick.

[MooseMom]

I would imagine that gender is a significant factor in determining coping strategies.  Men and women not only have different ways of finding support, they also have different ways of being sick.

Oh, very very very good point!

[nightscape]

I would imagine that gender is a significant factor in determining coping strategies.  Men and women not only have different ways of finding support, they also have different ways of being sick.

I believe this is true as well. I am trying to get an equal amount of males and females to test this theory. I also believe that length of being on dialysis will determine coping strategy as well, so I will be testing that correlation as well. Thanks again for your support and interest

[MrsWright]

Hi Josh

My name is Nicole and I am also a social worker and I am on dialysis.

I began dialysis when I was 13 and I am now 41 so although I don't fit into your sample and longer feel free to ask any questions. I am able to give you a bit of insight into a whole range of developmental stages. My coping strategies are still the same but my attitude to dialysis and even connecting with other patients has definitely changed!

If I can be of any help let me know!

 



Edited: Reformated text - okarol/admin

[rsudock]

I am a 26 year old female on diaysis just started the first time in July....PM me I will participate.

[kimi_g89]

I am 21 and female. and would be more than happy to help with your study!

[Tracy]

Hi Josh,
I am 42, with a 17 year old daughter and I am about to be married next month.  I work full time.  I am not in your study age group, but I don't feel 42 either.  I have been on In Center Hemo D since May of 2010.  I am still learning a lot each day.  I am interested in what you find out.  I have had many emotions throughout this journey and am curious as to what other people go through.

Thanks, Tracy 

[chiefsfan301]

Hey Nightscape post your document as a PDF then most can open it.