Pain severity and quality of life among patients undergoing hemodialysis

Objectives Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition that imposes physical and psychological burdens, negatively affecting the quality of life (QOL) of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Pain is a prevalent symptom linked to HD treatment. Multiple sociodemographic and clinical factors affect the QOL of people with CKD; therefore, healthcare providers must understand the relationship between these variables. This study aimed to examine the relationship between pain severity and QOL among adult patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods An observational correlational cross-sectional study was conducted at inpatient and outpatient HD units. A convenience sample of 157 adult patients participated. They completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Arabic Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Results Participants reported a low-to-moderate QOL across domains, with the psychological domain having the lowest mean (55.04 ± 17.84). The mean pain severity was 3.94 ± 3.34, with 15% of the sample experiencing severe pain. Significant negative correlations were found between pain severity and physical (r = −0.444, p < 0.001), psychological (r = −0.263, p < 0.001), and environmental (r = −0.218, p = 0.006) QOL domains. Regression analysis identified monthly income and age as significant predictors of psychological, social, and environmental QOL. Additionally, hemodialysis-specific factors showed limited predictive power, though longer dialysis sessions predicted better psychological QOL ( p = 0.005) and higher weekly dialysis frequency predicted better overall QOL ( p = 0.007). Conclusions Pain adversely affects multiple aspects of QOL in HD patients. Comprehensive interventions focusing on pain management and socioeconomic support are essential to improve QOL outcomes in this adult population.