Post-traumatic growth and its relationship to quality of life up to 9 years after liver transplantation: a cross-sectional study in Spain

• Published in: BMJ open 2017-09, Vol.7 (9), p.e017455-e017455
• Main Authors: Pérez-San-Gregorio, María Ángeles, Martín-Rodríguez, Agustín, Borda-Mas, Mercedes, Avargues-Navarro, María Luisa, Pérez-Bernal, José, Conrad, Rupert, Gómez-Bravo, Miguel Ángel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Breast cancer; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Case-Control Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Life Change Events; Liver diseases; Liver Transplantation - psychology; Liver transplants; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Pain - psychology; Patients; Post traumatic stress disorder; Post-traumatic growth; Psychotherapy; Quality of Life; Spain; Stress; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transplants & implants; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017455

ObjectiveLittle is known concerning post-traumatic growth (PTG) after liver transplantation. Against this backdrop the current study analysed the relationship between PTG and time since transplantation on quality of life. Furthermore, it compared PTG between liver transplant recipients and their caregivers.DesignCross-sectional case–control study.SettingUniversity Hospital in Spain.Participants240 adult liver transplant recipients who had undergone only one transplantation, with no severe mental disease, were the participants of the study. Specific additional analyses were conducted on the subset of 216 participants for whom caregiver data were available. Moreover, results were compared with a previously recruited general population sample.Outcome measuresAll participants completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and recipients also filled in the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Relevant sociodemographic and clinical parameters were also assessed.ResultsIn the sample of 240 recipients, longer time since transplantation (>9 years) was associated with more pain symptoms (p=0.026). Regardless of duration, recipients showed lower scores on most quality of life dimensions than the general population. However, high PTG was associated with a significantly higher score on the vitality quality of life dimension (p=0.021). In recipients with high PTG, specific quality of life dimensions, such as bodily pain (p=0.307), vitality (p=0.890) and mental health (p=0.353), even equalled scores in the general population, whereas scores on general health surpassed them (p=0.006). Furthermore, liver transplant recipients (n=216) compared with their caregivers showed higher total PTG (p