Cognitive Intrusion, Pain Coping and Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients

Purpose Hemodialysis patients frequently experience pain-related symptoms for various reasons. Pain management requires evaluating cognitive processes, coping strategies, and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the effects of the cognitive intrusion of pain and pain coping strategies on the quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Design A multicenter, cross-sectional study. Methods The study included 108 hemodialysis patients from two dialysis centers. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Visual Analog Scale, Experience of Cognitive Intrusion of Pain Scale, Pain Coping Inventory, and Short-Form Health Survey. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, independent sample t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between variables. Results Cognitive intrusion significantly predicted the physical and mental components of quality of life, explaining 24% and 12% of the variance, respectively. Adding passive coping strategies increased the explained variance by 4% and 3%, and active coping strategies added 4% and 1%, respectively. Conclusions Cognitive intrusion of pain is a critical factor in improving the quality of life of hemodialysis patients. This study uniquely highlighted how active and passive pain coping strategies, combined with cognitive intrusion, influence quality of life. Nurses can enhance patients’ well-being by focusing on these aspects. Clinical Implications Nurses should evaluate cognitive pain intrusion and coping strategies, prioritizing the promotion of active coping approaches to improve the quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.