The relationship of health locus of control to patients with end-stage renal disease.

Twenty-eight patients with end-stage renal disease receiving dialysis at the University of Utah Medical Center were the subjects of a nonequivalent control group study. This study was designed to measure the impact of a preventive aerobic exercise/educational intervention on the patients' locus of control. A creative incentive plan was utilized to motivate patients to accept responsibility for acquire cardiovascular fitness. There were no statistically significant differences before and after the intervention, as measured by the Multidimensional Locus of Control scale. The absence of change was partly attributed to an unusual internal orientation at the pretest level. Of the four factors examined that might account for this finding, the one that emerged with a statistically significantly high correlation was the duration on dialysis.