Impact of supportive psychotherapy on anxiety, night sleep quality, and medication adherence in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Background Anxiety is a common yet frequently overlooked psychiatric disorder in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which is related to decreasing the quality of life and survival. We examined whether supportive psychotherapy improved anxiety in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods Among the 69 participants enrolled in our dialysis center, 63 finished the study and were randomly assigned to the study group (n = 35) and the control group (n = 28). An intervention group was given 1 weekly session of supportive psychotherapy led by trained psychologists over 3 months while a control group synchronously received the usual treatment. Results An intragroup analysis was conducted on the GAD-7 (anxiety levels), PSQI (sleep quality), and MMAS-8 (medication adherence) scales. Mean scores for the control group showed no significant change at 3-month follow-up. The study group revealed significant improvements in the average scores of GAD-7 scores (p < 0.001), PSQI scores (p = 0.004), and MMAS-8 scores (p = 0.007). Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between anxiety levels, sleep quality, and medication adherence. Conclusions In summary, supportive psychotherapy resulted in significant improvements in anxiety, sleep quality, and medication adherence. It is recommended that further research be conducted to explore the efficacy of psychotherapy for mental disorders in populations with ESRD.