title: Overall mental distress and health-related quality of life after solid-organ transplantation: results from a retrospective follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our retrospective follow-up study aimed to explore the degree of overall mental distress in a cohort of solid-organ transplantation (SOT) recipients after liver, heart or lung transplantation. Furthermore, we investigated how overall mental distress is linked to health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  123 SOT patients treated during the study period were enrolled in this investigation at a mean of 24.6 months (SD=11.6) after transplantation. Before transplantation, the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS) was used to classify the level of adjustment in psychosocial functioning among transplantation candidates. After transplantation, recipients completed a research battery, which included the SCL-90-R, and the SF-36.
  
  
  RESULTS
  39 (31.7%) transplantation recipients had clinically significant overall mental distress as measured on the Global Severity Index of the SCL-90-R. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (92.3%), somatization symptoms (87.2%), anxiety symptoms (84.6%), depression symptoms (82.1%) and phobic anxiety symptoms (69.2%) were a frequent finding.Transplantation recipients with overall mental distress had significant lower levels of adjustment in psychosocial functioning before transaplantation than those without overall mental distress as measured in the TERS. Transplantation-related overall mental distress symptomatology was associated with maximal decrements in health-related quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transplantation recipients may face major transplantation- and treatment-related overall mental distress and impairments to their health-related quality of life. Further, overall mental distress is a high-risk factor in intensifying impairments to patients' overall quality of life.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 31, 8036, Graz, Austria. Andreas.Baranyi@klinikum-graz.at
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Baranyi
authors: Till
authors: T
authors: Krauseneck
authors: Hans-Bernd
authors: HB
authors: Rothenhäusler
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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