Vulnerability to stress, perceived social support, and coping styles among chronic hemodialysis patients

The aim of this study was to investigate how coping mechanisms differ between hemodialysis patients and healthy people. Our sample consisted of 110 adults in Turkey: 55 hemodialysis patients and 55 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The Shorter Coping Style Scale, the Vulnerability to Stress Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used. The results revealed that the hemodialysis patients were more vulnerable to stress, and used emotion-oriented coping styles more than the healthy group. The consistency of the findings with the literature is discussed.