Dispositional optimism and coping strategies in patients with a kidney transplant

• Published in: Nefrologia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola Nefrologia Vol. 34; no. 5; p. 605
• Main Authors: Costa-Requena, Gemma, Cantarell-Aixendri, M Carmen, Parramon-Puig, Gemma, Serón-Micas, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Spain 2014
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Kidney Transplantation - psychology; Male; Middle Aged; Optimism; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 1989-2284
• DOI: 10.3265/Nefrologia.pre2014.Jun.11881

Dispositional optimism is a personal resource that determines the coping style and adaptive response to chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the correlations between dispositional optimism and coping strategies in patients with recent kidney transplantation and evaluate the differences in the use of coping strategies in accordance with the level of dispositional optimism.
Patients who were hospitalised in the nephrology department were selected consecutively after kidney transplantation was performed. The evaluation instruments were the Life Orientation Test-Revised, and the Coping Strategies Inventory. The data were analysed with central tendency measures, correlation analyses and means were compared using Student's t-test.
66 patients with a kidney transplant participated in the study. The coping styles that characterised patients with a recent kidney transplantation were Social withdrawal and Problem avoidance. Correlations between dispositional optimism and coping strategies were significant in a positive direction in Problem-solving (p<.05) and Cognitive restructuring (p<.01), and inversely with Self-criticism (p<.05). Differences in dispositional optimism created significant differences in the Self-Criticism dimension (t=2.58; p<.01).
Dispositional optimism scores provide differences in coping responses after kidney transplantation. Moreover, coping strategies may influence the patient's perception of emotional wellbeing after kidney transplantation.