Volunteering Improves Adherence to Dietary Regimens and Outlook of People with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Abstract

The research reported here builds on a corpus of studies that have found strong positive effects of volunteering on depression, self esteem and adherence to medical regimens. Patients with chronic kidney disease at a community hemodialysis facility volunteered to act as participants in a control condition or an experimental (volunteer) condition that involved 1 hour/week volunteer service. The patients were matched with a volunteer activity from possibilities identified by the hemodialysis unit social worker and showed reliable increases in adherence as measured by control of fluid weight gain and potassium levels. In addition, qualitative analysis of pre- and post-experiment interviews with participants correlated well with measures of depression and self-esteem. Depression indicators declined for those in the volunteer condition but not for those in the control condition. Our discussion includes strong recommendations that volunteer opportunities developed and facilitated by the unit social worker for patients on dialysis are an investment of resources that produce a significant payoff in patient physical and psychological health.