Abstract: Objective  This study aims to investigate the current status of social rehabilitation and the quality of life, and to explore the factors influencing the degree of social function degradation after dialysis in young and middle-aged maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.  Methods  The young and middle-aged MHD patients treated in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were taken as the study subjects. Cross-sectional and retrospective survey methods were used to collect patients' data. The Kidney Disease Quality of Life Scale (KDQOL-SFTM 1.3) and Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) were used for evaluation of the patients. Patients were divided into the group with insignificant social function degradation and the group with significant social function degradation based on the median value of SDSS score difference before and after MHD. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the influencing factors for social function deterioration in young and middle-aged MHD patients.   Results  ①In the 112 MHD cases included in this study, 42 cases (37.50%) were at the social rehabilitation level 3 and 70 cases (62.50%) at the social rehabilitation level 4. The quality of life score was higher in the patients at the social rehabilitation level 4 than those at the social rehabilitation level 3 (t= -2.554, P=0.012),  but statistical differences were only in the domains of impact of kidney disease (t=2.185, P=0.031), work status (t=3.203, P=0.002), social quality (t=2.117, P=0.037), emotional function  (t=2.700, P=0.008) and social function (t=2.349, P=0.021). ②Shorter dialysis age (OR=3.031, 95% CI：1.192～7.706, P=0.020), fatigue symptom (OR=7.574, 95% CI：1.829～31.367, P=0.005), comorbid anxiety and (or) depression problems (OR=3.765, 95% CI：1.120～12.658, P=0.032), and higher morbidity stigma score (OR=1.303, 95% CI：1.104～1.537, P=0.002) were the independent risk factors for social function deterioration in young and middle-aged MHD patients.  Conclusions  ① Higher levels of social rehabilitation and quality of life were found in young and middle-aged MHD patients; ②Patients with shorter dialysis age, comorbid symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and (or) depression, and high morbid stigma score were prone to have significant social dysfunction. The psychological and emotional problems should be emphasized clinically in young and middle-aged MHD patients.

Key words: Maintenance hemodialysis, Young and middle-aged, Social rehabilitation, Quality of life, Social function