Comparison of anxious and depressive symptomatology among pretransplant hepatic patients and their relatives.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to compare the anxiety and depressive symptoms of patients undergoing pretransplant evaluation with those of their closest relatives.


METHODS
We assessed 51 patients with hepatic cirrhosis and 51 relatives who were the main care giver for each patient. All subjects were assessed during the interval when the patients were hospitalized to undergo the medical assessment to determine their inclusion on the waiting list for liver transplantation. In both groups, we used a "Psychosocial Survey" and the "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale."


RESULTS
Significant differences were observed in anxiety (P=.001), but not in depression (P=.820). Specifically, relatives presented higher levels of anxiety compared with the hepatic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The relatives were worse off psychologically than the patients.
Domínguez-Cabello
E
E
University Hospital Virgen del Rocío, Psychology Faculty, Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Seville, Spain.
Pérez-San-Gregorio
M A
MA
Martín-Rodríguez
A
A
Pérez-Bernal
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged