Psychosocial profiles after transplantation: a 24-month follow-up of heart, lung, liver, kidney and allogeneic bone-marrow patients.

OBJECTIVES: Quality of life and psychosocial well-being usually improve after an organ transplant and remain stable for a minimum of several years. These findings, however, mainly apply to the "average" trend for transplant patients. This study aims to investigate whether transplant patients fall into different groups in good or poor psychosocial outcome after organ transplantation. METHODS: One hundred thirty-one patients were assessed before and 6, 12, and 24 months after a heart, lung, liver, kidney, or bone-marrow transplant. Cluster analysis was applied to identify typical outcome profiles of the patients' mental health (SF-36); differences between the clusters were investigated with regard to further psychosocial parameters (sense of coherence, optimism, psychosocial functioning, anxiety, depression, life/health satisfaction, medication experience). RESULTS: The analysis revealed two clusters of transplant patients. Cluster A (n=78, 59.5%) showed a fairly good psychosocial outcome, improving over the posttransplant period of 2 years. Cluster B (n=53, 40.5%) included patients who reported a limited or poor outcome, deteriorating after the transplant. Furthermore, there are significant differences between clusters A and B in psychosocial parameters and physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the experience of the transplant process may vary greatly from patient to patient, and that a considerable number of transplant recipients require psychosocial support, despite the majority of patients showing an unquestionable posttransplant improvement in psychosocial well-being.

Psychosocial vulnerability predicts psychosocial outcome after an organ transplant: results of a prospective study with lung, liver, and bone-marrow patients.

OBJECTIVE: The pretransplant medical evaluation of transplantation candidates includes an assessment of psychosocial data. This study investigates psychosocial vulnerability as a predictor of posttransplant outcome. METHODS: Seventy-six patients were assessed prior to lung, liver, or bone-marrow transplant. Pretransplant vulnerability markers were cognitive beliefs (sense of coherence and optimism), affect (anxiety and depression), and external resources (social support). In addition, psychosocial functioning was assessed by professionals. Quality of life, general life satisfaction, need for counseling, and survival rate were assessed 12 months after transplant. RESULTS: Pretransplant variables explain 21-40% of the variance in posttransplant psychosocial outcome variables. Cognitive beliefs predict mental quality of life; affect (depression) and social support predict life satisfaction; and expert-rated psychosocial functioning predicts life satisfaction and need for counseling. CONCLUSION: The multidimensional vulnerability model is suitable for predicting posttransplant psychosocial outcome. Patients with high pretransplant vulnerability should receive ongoing psychosocial counseling.

[Psychosocial need for counselling before and after a lung, liver or allogenic bone marrow transplant--results of a prospective study]. / Psychosozialer Beratungsbedarf vor und nach einer Lungen-, Leber- oder allogenen Knochenmarkstransplantation--Ergebnisse einer prospektiven Studie.

OBJECTIVES: Transplant patients are exposed to many different types of mental and social stress. The study investigates these patients' need for psychosocial counselling. METHODS: At 6 months and again at 12 months following either a lung, liver or bone-marrow transplantation, 76 patients were questioned about their need for psychosocial counselling. The measuring instruments employed were: SF-36 (quality of life), FLZ (life satisfaction), HADS-D (anxiety/depression), and F-SoZu K-14 (social support). RESULTS: The need for psychosocial counselling in all three patient groups was at its greatest before transplantation. It amounted to 42.9 % (lung transplantation patients), 50.0 % (liver transplantation patients) and 26.7 % (bone marrow transplantation patients). Six months after transplantation, the need for counselling in all patient groups had quite clearly decreased. Among liver transplant patients, however, it increased again between the sixth and twelfth months. The need for counselling in all patient groups correlated significantly with anxiety. Moreover, at one-year follow-up, significantly negative correlations with mental health, life satisfaction and social support were observed. DISCUSSION: Especially during the evaluation phase prior to organ transplantation, transplantation patients demonstrate a considerable need for counselling. Psychosocial counselling should be an obligatory part of therapy before and after organ transplantation.

Quality of life and psychosocial situation before and after a lung, liver or an allogeneic bone marrow transplant.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Only few comparative prospective studies have been published on psychosocial issues of organ transplant. This study investigated patient groups with various organ transplants with respect to their quality of life and psychosocial situation before and after surgery. METHODS: 76 patients receiving an organ transplant (lung n = 22, liver n = 26, allogeneic bone marrow n = 28) were investigated with regard to quality of life (SF-36), life satisfaction (FLZ), social support (F-SozU), and psychological symptoms (HADS-D) before (T0) as well as six (T1) and twelve (T2) months after transplant. RESULTS: In the pre-transplant period the values of the psychosocial variables were partly lower than those of the community normal sample. After transplant lung and bone marrow patients reported less anxiety and depression and a higher life satisfaction, and liver patients reported less depression, compared to the norms. Quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological symptoms of all patients improved significantly post-transplant, whereas the perceived social support decreased. Contrary to the other groups, the psychological well-being of liver transplant recipients was deteriorating between T1 and T2. CONCLUSIONS: An organ transplant improved the patients' quality of life and psychosocial situation to a great extent. This effect was better in lung and bone marrow than in liver transplant patients.

[Group therapy following lung transplantation -- first experiences with a theme-centered "life management group"]. / Gruppentherapie nach Lungentransplantation -- erste Erfahrungen mit einer themenzentrierten "Life-Management-Gruppe".

Lung transplantation is a drastic life event that usually takes place in the preterminal phase of a lung disease. Although a lung transplantation increases the quality of life considerably, patients still face a range of physical and psychosocial strains. This article presents experiences made with a "Life Management Group" for lung transplantation patients. The aim of the eight group meetings was to encourage the sharing of experiences between patients and to support them in their active and competent realizations of desires and plans. Physical health, self-identity of lung transplant recipients, growing problems financing medical treatment and the forming of doctor-patient-relationships were the important issues. Patients were able to reach a higher level of self efficiency; they could use active coping strategies and develop their social networks. Positive experiences were made with the implementation of group therapy for lung transplantation patients. Lung transplant recipients have to deal with specific problems of identity. On the other hand, there are growing health-economic questions also from the patient's point of view.

[The "Medication Experience Scale for Immunosuppressants" (MESI): initial results for a new screening instrument in transplant medicine]. / Die "Medikamenten-Erfahrungs-Skala für Immunsuppressiva" (MESI) -- erste Ergebnisse zu einem neuen Screeninginstrument in der Transplantationsmedizin.

BACKGROUND: After an organ transplant, immunosuppressants must be taken on a regular basis to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ. To our knowledge, there have been no studies to date on how transplant recipients experience the effects and side effects of immunosuppressants. The present study tested a newly developed screening instrument that records the subjective experiences and cognitive attitudes of patients vis-à-vis their immunosuppressive medication. METHOD: 98 patients were questioned before a heart, lung, liver or kidney transplant and 12 months after the transplant by means of various psychosocial measuring instruments (Sense of Coherence, SOC; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS-D; Quality of Life, SF-36; Satisfaction with Life, FLZ; Social Support, F-SOZU). 12 months after the transplants were performed, seven further items intended to measure the subjective experiences and cognitive attitudes of the patients vis-à-vis their immunosuppressive medication were used. The treating doctors assessed patients' overall compliance 12 months after the transplant operation. RESULTS: Die "Medication Experience Scale for Immunosuppressants" (MESI) showed an internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of 0.78. Its values correlated significantly negatively with the sense of coherence recorded before the transplant. There were also significantly negative correlations with physical functioning, mental health, satisfaction with life and social support, as well as significantly positive ones with anxiety and depression 12 months post-transplant. In a comparison of organ groups, lung-transplant patients exhibited the highest MESI values. Patients whose compliance was assessed as "very good" experienced the effects of the immunosuppressants less intensely than patients with "good" to "moderate" compliance. Sensitivity of the MESI scale with regard to compliance was 0.81, with a specificity of 0.71, a positive predictive value of 0.68, and a negative predictive value of 0.83. The cut-off value between "very good" and "limited" compliance was a scale score of 15 points. CONCLUSION: The MESI is a short, easy-to-use screening instrument for recording the subjective experiences and attitudes of patients after an organ transplant. Of clinical significance is the correlation with compliance. Patients with a scale score of > 15 in particular should be spoken to by their treating doctor with regard to their attitudes to and experiences of the immunosuppressants, as well as with regard to their compliance behaviour.

Quality of life and psychosocial situation before and after a lung, liver or an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Results from a prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Only few comparative prospective studies have been published on psychosocial issues of organ transplant. This study investigated patient groups with various organ transplants with respect to their quality of life and psychosocial situation before and after surgery. METHODS: 76 patients receiving an organ transplant (lung n = 22, liver n = 26, allogeneic bone marrow n = 28) were investigated with regard to quality of life (SF-36), life satisfaction (FLZ), social support (F-SozU), and psychological symptoms (HADS-D) before (T0) as well as six (T1) and twelve (T2) months after transplant. RESULTS: In the pre-transplant period the values of the psychosocial variables were partly lower than those of the community normal sample. After transplant lung and bone marrow patients reported less anxiety and depression and a higher life satisfaction, and liver patients reported less depression, compared to the norms. Quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological symptoms of all patients improved significantly post-transplant, whereas the perceived social support decreased. Contrary to the other groups, the psychological well-being of liver transplant recipients was deteriorating between T1 and T2. CONCLUSIONS: An organ transplant improved the patients' quality of life and psychosocial situation to a great extent. This effect was better in lung and bone marrow than in liver transplant patients.