The relationship between the COVID-19 anxiety and self-efficacy of patients undergoing hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study

Background: The spread of the COVID-19 increased anxiety and stress among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Unpleasant experiences in the lives of these patients reduced their quality of life. Self-efficacy is an effective factor that can improve the quality of life of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the COVID-19 anxiety and self-efficacy in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study used purposive sampling to select 110 patients undergoing hemodialysis in Sirjan from October to late November 2021. Demographic and clinical information questionnaire, the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS25. A significance level < 0.05 was considered.

Results: The results showed that the mean score of COVID-19 anxiety was 13.14 ± 7.38, which was lower than the midpoint of the questionnaire. The mean self-efficacy score was 57.72 ± 9.68, with 73.8% (N = 79) of the participants having high self-efficacy and 26.2% (N = 28) having moderate self-efficacy. We found no significant relationship between self-efficacy and the COVID-19 anxiety (P = 0.31), as well as between self-efficacy and the psychological dimension of the corona disease anxiety scale (P = 0.96), but we observed a negative, poor and significant relationship between self-efficacy and its physical dimension (P = 0.048).

Conclusions: Patients undergoing hemodialysis showed low anxiety and high self-efficacy. No significant relationship was found between COVID-19 anxiety and self-efficacy, but a weak correlation was observed with the physical dimension of anxiety. Increasing self-efficacy through patient education and support can improve outcomes and reduce hospitalizations for these patients.