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. 2024 Jul 5:15:1377771.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1377771. eCollection 2024.

Postoperative factors associated with psychological well-being of living kidney donors: results of a retrospective and qualitative study

Vasiliki Galani  1 , Viridiana Mazzola  1 , Paco Prada  1   2 , Guido Bondolfi  1   2
Affiliations

Postoperative factors associated with psychological well-being of living kidney donors: results of a retrospective and qualitative study

Vasiliki Galani et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Kidney transplantation from a living donor is the treatment of choice for end- stage kidney disease. Psychological implications of living kidney donation are of great importance, both during preliminary psychiatric assessment and post-donation follow-up. The identification of risk factors worsening the psychological well-being of living kidney donors (LKDs), before and after donation, remains challenging in terms of research.

Methods: At the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), our clinical observations and practice compelled us to establish post-donation follow-ups for LKDs at 6 months and 1 year. Pre-and post-donation sociodemographic, physical, psychological, and psychiatric data was collected from the medical records of 115 LKDs who underwent a complete physical and psychological evaluation during the period 2011-2018. We tested for any potential association between the variables under study.

Results: A qualitative and retrospective analysis of this data highlighted the impact of postoperative factors, such as pain, fatigue, recipient-donor relationship, and fulfillment of donors' expectations, on the post-donation psychological well-being of LKDs.

Discussion: With regard to these findings, regular post-donation follow-ups, optimal care of postoperative pain and fatigue, as well as a solid therapeutic alliance with LKDs remain key points for clinicians involved in the dynamic process of living kidney donation.

Keywords: donor-recipient relationship; kidney donors’ follow up; kidney transplantation; living kidney donors; mental health; postoperative fatigue.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clustered bar chart of postoperative fatigue by psychological distress categories demonstrating their association. The height of each bar represents the total number of observations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clustered bar chart of psychological distress by pain with psychological impact categories showing a significant impact of pain on mental status post donation. The height of each bar represents the total number of observations.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clustered bar chart of professional performances by psychological distress categories showing an unchanged professional performance for the majority of LKDs. The height of each bar represents the total number of observations.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Clustered bar chart of psychological distress by expectations categories illustrating the association of psychological distress with partial fulfilled expectations. The height of each bar represents the total number of observations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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