Experience of Loneliness Among Middle-Aged Hemodialysis Patients: Qualitative Study

Aim: To phenomenologically explore the subjective experience of loneliness among middle-aged hemodialysis patients.

Background: In South Korea, the number of middle-aged hemodialysis patients is steadily increasing, and qualitative research on the loneliness they experience is needed to understand them and develop nursing management strategies.

Methods: A qualitative study using the phenomenological research method of Giorgi was employed. Participants were 11 patients aged 40–64, receiving regular hemodialysis for over 3 months at a hemodialysis treatment facility in Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected from June 2021 to February, 2022, and they were in-depth interviewed until data saturation.

Results: The seven components derived from the study results were “The loneliness felt in a life tied to dialysis like shackles,” “The sorrow and loneliness of my irretrievable life,” “Helplessness in death and isolation at the edge of life,” “Living everyday wrapped in solitude,” “Complex emotions and alienation within the family,” “Lonely life in the shadow of illness and societal prejudice,” and “Struggling to break free from the abyss of loneliness.” Also, 20 subcomponents were derived.

Implications for Nursing Management: Despite facing the negative aspects of loneliness associated with illness and treatment, middle-aged hemodialysis patients accept loneliness as a meaningful adaptive experience. This repetitive phenomenon throughout the life cycle of lifelong dialysis patients suggests a continuous process. In nursing management, nurses or nursing managers need to pay attention to the results of this study for deep understanding of middle-aged hemodialysis patients and qualitative nursing management. Based on the results of this study, nursing management strategies for them can be developed.