Peer-reviewed article
Experiences of Children Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study.
Demir E, Sönmez Düzkaya D ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explores the lived experiences of ten children aged over 7 years undergoing peritoneal dialysis for chronic kidney disease in Turkey. Through interviews, researchers identified that children face significant emotional challenges including fear and sadness, physical symptoms such as abdominal pain and sleep disturbances, and social disruption including school absenteeism and isolation from peers. The findings highlight the need for family-centred nursing care, psychological screening, school liaison and peer support to improve outcomes for children on dialysis.
Key points
- Children reported fear, sadness and stress as primary emotional responses to peritoneal dialysis
- Physical symptoms included abdominal pain, nausea and sleep disturbances
- Social isolation and school absenteeism were prominent consequences affecting peer relationships
- Five overarching themes emerged: emotional responses, physical burden, social disruption, family relationships, and coping with social support
- The study calls for family-centred nursing care, routine psychological screening and structured peer support
Limitations
This is a qualitative study with a small sample of ten children from a single tertiary centre in Turkey, so findings may not be generalisable to other contexts or healthcare systems. The study does not measure the effectiveness of any interventions to address the identified challenges.
Abstract
Background Kidney transplantation is the preferred kidney replacement therapy for children with kidney failure; when not feasible, peritoneal dialysis is the preferred dialysis modality. Despite its clinical advantages, children undergoing peritoneal dialysis face significant emotional, physical and psychosocial challenges that remain poorly documented in the literature, particularly from the child's own perspective. Objectives This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of children undergoing peritoneal dialysis, with a view to informing family-centred nursing care and improving psychosocial support for this vulnerable population. Design A descriptive phenomenological design was employed, using semi-structured individual interviews for data collection. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven-step descriptive phenomenological method. Participants Ten children aged over 7 years with a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease who had been receiving peritoneal dialysis for at least 1 year were recruited through purposive sampling from a tertiary paediatric nephrology unit in southern Turkey between August 2024 and March 2025. Approach Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 30 min and were audio-recorded with the consent of both children and parents. Transcripts were analysed independently by two researchers using MAXQDA 22 software. Findings Five overarching themes were identified: emotional responses to peritoneal dialysis, physical burden of peritoneal dialysis, disruption to social and school life, family relationships, and coping and social support. Children most frequently reported fear, sadness and stress alongside physical symptoms, including abdominal pain, nausea and sleep disturbances. Social isolation, school absenteeism and disruption to peer relationships were also prominent. Conclusions Children undergoing peritoneal dialysis experience significant emotional, physical and psychosocial burdens. Family-centred nursing care, routine psychological screening, proactive school liaison and structured peer support are essential to improve outcomes for this population.