The influence of clinical variables on the psychological adaptation of adolescents after solid organ transplantation

Elisa Kern de Castro, Bernardo Moreno Jiménez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of clinical and socio-demographic variables on the psychological adaptation of transplanted adolescents. Twenty-six transplanted adolescents and 25 healthy adolescents, aged 13-17, and their parents participated in the study. The following domains were measured: social competence, emotional/behavioral problems, self-concept, self-esteem and subjective well-being. The findings revealed that transplanted boys presented significantly less social competence (U = 26,000, p < .05) and more externalizing problems (U = 25,000, p < .05), social problems (U = 25,000, p < .05) and attention problems (U = 17,500, p < .01) than healthy boys. In contrast, transplanted girls displayed significantly more internalizing problems (U = 47,000, p < .05) and lower physical self-concept (U = 49,500, p < .05) than healthy girls. Hierarchical regression analysis showed clinical variables, especially waiting-list time, significantly predicted attention problems (β = .364, p < .05) and negative affect (β = .632, p < .05) in transplanted adolescents. Also, male (β = -0.554, p < .01) and younger (β = -0.444, p < .01) transplanted adolescents were at risk for attention problems. Our data suggest the importance of the waiting-list time for transplanted adolescents. Efforts to reduce the pretransplant phase would help adolescents achieve better psychological adaptation at long-term posttransplant.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)154-162
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Organ transplantation
  • Psychological adaptation
  • Social competence

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