1857 - THE JOURNEY AFTER DONATION: ASSOCIATING FACTORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN LIVING ORGAN DONORS

Session: D08S0029 - Stress, Anxiety & Adaptation 2
AUTHORS:
Bayram-Gülaçtı Hurigül (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University ~ Ankara ~ Turkey) , Bulut Burcu Pinar (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University ~ Ankara ~ Turkey) , Hazar Dilehan (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University ~ Ankara ~ Turkey) , Dogan Begüm (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University ~ Ankara ~ Turkey) , Bostanci Erdal Birol (Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Clinic of Gastroenterology Surgery ~ Ankara ~ Turkey)
Abstract text:
There has been a rise in the number of living organ transplants in Türkiye. However, the majority of studies on living organ donation mainly focus on recipients. Research has linked various structural, individual, and environmental factors to psychological health of living organ donors. However, the lack of consensus and limited number of studies regarding the psychological health of donors after transplantation highlight the importance of this study. The current study aimed to examine how demographic, relational, and protective factors predict stress, anxiety, and depression levels of living donors after organ transplant surgery after controlling for pre-surgery psychological health. A total of 51 (n= 18 kidney, n= 33 liver) adult donors (M= 36.5, SD= 11.5) completed the questionnaires of stress, anxiety, and depression pre-surgery and post-surgery. Demographic variables, relational, protective (social support, secure attachment, resilience), and risk factors (sensory processing sensitivity, neuroticism) were taken as predictors and data for those variables were collected in the pre-surgery period. Three hierarchical regression analyses were conducted for each psychological outcome (depression, anxiety, and stress). After controlling for control variables, the regression models provided significant results for all outcomes[F(9, 82)= 2.367, p= .020, F(9, 82)= 3.907, p< .00, F(9, 82)= 4.262, p< .00, respectively]. Sensory processing sensitivity in pre-surgery was positively associated with post-surgery anxiety (β = .254, p = .028). In addition, pre-surgery depression was associated with the post-surgery depression (β = .352, p = .025); pre-surgery stress was associated with the post-surgery stress (β = .250, p < .001). Other variables in pre-surgery did not predict post-surgery anxiety, depression, and stress. The findings indicated that high sensitivity as an individual difference is a significant factor for the psychological health of donors. Intervention programs targeting this characteristic during surgery preparation period may be crucial for donors' psychological health after surgery.