Transplant Research and Risk Management (Jun 2016)
Psychological rejection of the transplanted organ and graft dysfunction in kidney transplant patients
Abstract
Melinda Látos,1 György Lázár,1 Zoltán Horváth,1 Victoria Wittmann,1 Edit Szederkényi,1 Zoltán Hódi,1 Pál Szenohradszky,1 Márta Csabai2 1Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, 2Psychology Institute, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary Abstract: Interdisciplinary studies suggest that the mental representations of the transplanted organ may have a significant effect on the healing process. The objective of this study was to examine the representations of the transplanted organ and their relationship with emotional and mood factors, illness perceptions, and the functioning of the transplanted organ. One hundred and sixty-four kidney transplant patients were assessed using the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, the Beck’s Depression Scale, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and the Transplanted Organ Questionnaire. Medical parameters were collected from the routine clinical blood tests (serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate levels) and biopsy results. Our most outstanding results suggest that kidney-transplanted patients’ illness representations are associated with health outcomes. The Transplanted Organ Questionnaire “psychological rejection” subscale was connected with higher serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate levels. Logistic regression analysis showed that psychological rejection subscale, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Posttraumatic Growth Questionnaire total scores were associated with graft rejection. These results may serve as a basis for the development of complex treatment interventions, which could help patients to cope with the bio-psycho-social challenges of integrating the new organ as part of their body and self. Keywords: anxiety, depression, illness representations, posttraumatic growth, psychological rejection, renal transplantation
