ABSTRACT
The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to describe coping strategies used by males with chronic renal failure who are dependent on hemodialysis; to describe their social networks; to describe the perceived support, conflict, and reciprocity within their interpersonal relationships; and to examine the relationships among the variables support, conflict, reciprocity, social networks, and coping strategies. Social support was conceptualized as a coping resource or source of assistance in coping with the renal illness- or hemodialysis-related stressor. The Ways of Coping questionnaire and the Interpersonal Relationship Inventory were administered to 30 participants while in hospital. Although, both problem-focused and emotion-focused forms of coping were used, participants primarily used problem-focused coping, in particular, "seeking social support". Overall, the participants perceived relatively high levels of support and moderate to high levels of reciprocity with members of their social networks. Participants experienced a moderate level of conflict in their interpersonal relationships. Both escape-avoidance and conflict were positively associated with the number of people in the household. Positive reappraisal was negatively associated with the number of close relatives. The small sample size prohibits generalizability of the results. Longitudinal studies with a larger randomly selected sample would yield insights into the long-term psychological outcomes of different coping strategies and into the bi-directional relationship of support from social network and coping in this population. Implications for nurses are discussed.
