Psychosocial risk factors for impaired health-related quality of life in living kidney donors: results from the ELIPSY prospective study

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 21343
• Main Authors: Menjivar, Ana, Torres, Xavier, Manyalich, Marti, Fehrman-Ekholm, Ingela, Papachristou, Christina, de Sousa-Amorim, Erika, Paredes, David, Hiesse, Christian, Yucetin, Levent, Oppenheimer, Federico, Kondi, Entela, Peri, Josep Maria, Kvarnström, Niclas, Ballesté, Chloë, Dias, Leonidio, Frade, Inês C., Lopes, Alice, Diekmann, Fritz, Revuelta, Ignacio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07-12-2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/477; 692/308; 692/4022; Clinical Medicine; Decision making; Humanities and Social Sciences; Kidneys; Klinisk medicin; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; multidisciplinary; Organ donors; Quality of life; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Socioeconomics; Surgery
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78032-8

Living kidney donors’ follow-up is usually focused on the assessment of the surgical and medical outcomes. Whilst the psychosocial follow-up is advocated in literature. It is still not entirely clear which exact psychosocial factors are related to a poor psychosocial outcome of donors. The aim of our study is to prospectively assess the donors’ psychosocial risks factors to impaired health-related quality of life at 1-year post-donation and link their psychosocial profile before donation with their respective outcomes. The influence of the recipient’s medical outcomes on their donor’s psychosocial outcome was also examined. Sixty donors completed a battery of standardized psychometric instruments (quality of life, mental health, coping strategies, personality, socio-economic status), and ad hoc items regarding the donation process (e.g., motivations for donation, decision-making, risk assessment, and donor-recipient relationship). Donors’ 1-year psychosocial follow-up was favorable and comparable with the general population. So far, cluster-analysis identified a subgroup of donors (28%) with a post-donation reduction of their health-related quality of life. This subgroup expressed comparatively to the rest, the need for more pre-donation information regarding surgery risks, and elevated fear of losing the recipient and commitment to stop their suffering.