Abstract

RESENDE, Marineia Crosara de; SANTOS, Francisco Assis dos; SOUZA, Melissa Macedo de  and  MARQUES, Thatianna Pereira. Psychological treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease: searching for psychological adjustment. Psicol. clin. [online]. 2007, vol.19, n.2, pp.87-99. ISSN 0103-5665.

Chronic illnesses, such as kidney disease, have received great attention from health professionals in the last decades. This work intends to present an experience with psychological care, in a hemodialysis clinic, with 26 patients aged between 15 and 80 years, the majority of which were women (69,2%), married (53,8%), did not work (92,3%), or were retired (57,7%), taking hemodialysis three times a week. Instead of reacting negatively to life events, individuals can behave in ways that improve their well-being in times of transformation and change, as is the case when one has a chronic kidney disease. The manner in which the individual deals with suffering and its benefits can bring possibilities of psychological adjustment and personal growth in face of adversity.

Keywords : health psychology; psychological adjustment; psychological care; chronic kidney disease; hemodialysis.

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