Evidence mapPaperPMID 41639655Full record

ArticleBMC nephrology2026

Symptom network structure across stigma subgroups in maintenance hemodialysis: a latent profile and network analysis.

Na Song, Ni Zhang, Weicui Gao, Zhifang Zhang, Jia Lei, Huanmei Han, Bing Li, Jiying Liu, Lei Li, Ning Jiang

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC nephrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
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1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Na Song *Hemodialysis Room, Department of Nephrology, Tai'an 88th Hospital, Tai'an, China.
Ni Zhang *School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, China.
Weicui Gao *School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, China.
Zhifang ZhangThe Second affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, China.
Jia LeiSchool of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, China.
Huanmei HanThe Second affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, China.
Bing LiHemodialysis Room, Department of Nephrology, Tai'an 88th Hospital, Tai'an, China.
Jiying LiuHemodialysis Room, Department of Nephrology, Tai'an 88th Hospital, Tai'an, China.
Lei LiSchool of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, China. lli@sdfmu.edu.cn.
Ning JiangSchool of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, China. maomaoriv@163.com.

Funding

Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation ZR2025MS1169
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMaintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients commonly experience stigma during long-term treatment, yet the characteristics of their subgroups and the associated patterns with symptom burden remain unclear. This study aimed to identify latent subgroups of stigma among MHD patients and depict the symptom network structure of each subgroup.

methodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 558 MHD patients from two hospitals between March and December 2024. Stigma was assessed using the Social Impact Scale (SIS), symptom burden was assessed using the Modified Dialysis Symptom Index (DSI), subgroups of stigma were identified using latent profile analysis, and complex relationships between symptoms were explored using network analysis. Network comparison tests were performed to evaluate between-group differences in network connectivity.

resultsThe study found that there were three subgroups of MHD patients with stigma: low stigma group (38.5%), moderate stigma group (49.6%), and high stigma group (11.8%). The network analysis showed that muscle pain, sadness, and chest pain were the core symptom nodes in the overall sample. Stable symptom networks were observed in the low and moderate stigma groups, with core symptoms differing by subgroup (physical symptoms in the low stigma group vs. emotional symptom in the moderate stigma group), though no significant difference in global network strength was found between these two groups.

conclusionsStigma among MHD patients presents distinct heterogeneous subgroup characteristics, and there are core symptoms with high connection strength in the symptom network. The difficulty in recruiting patients with high stigma reflects the concealment of this population. Future studies should adopt longitudinal designs and expand the sample size of the high stigma subgroup to verify the value of core symptoms in symptom management. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Kidney Failure, ChronicRenal DialysisSocial StigmaAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSymptom BurdenLatent profile analysisMaintenance hemodialysisNetwork analysisStigmaSymptom burden

Identifiers

PMID41639655
PMCPMC12958759

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.