OBJECTIVE: To explore the psychosocial characteristics of living liver and kidney donors to identify common traits including personality traits, purpose in life, resilience, and post donation growth. METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed to 835 living donors. Included were a survey of demographic characteristics and donation experiences, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Purpose in Life Scale, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Analyses compared the donor groups with the scale norms (where available) and compared differences between donor groups. RESULTS: Eighteen percent of donors (n=151) responded anonymously. The sample was as resilient as the general population and significantly more resilient than the population of primary care patients. Kidney donors were significantly more resilient than liver donors. Live donors demonstrated scores on the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in the "high" range for agreeableness and conscientiousness and "low" for neuroticism. Kidney donors scored significantly lower on the neuroticism scale than liver donors scored. Purpose in Life scores and Post Donation Growth scores were skewed and were overwhelmingly high in this sample. Additional differences in psychosocial variables are also described. CONCLUSION: Live donors are resilient and show adaptive personality traits. It is difficult to conclude whether these traits were inspired by the act of donation or if they make one more apt to choose donation. Moreover, the study methods introduce the possibility of selection bias: those with certain characteristics may have been more likely to respond. Prospective studies before and after donation are warranted.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the psychosocial characteristics of living liver and kidney donors to identify common traits including personality traits, purpose in life, resilience, and post donation growth. METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed to 835 living donors. Included were a survey of demographic characteristics and donation experiences, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Purpose in Life Scale, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Analyses compared the donor groups with the scale norms (where available) and compared differences between donor groups. RESULTS: Eighteen percent of donors (n=151) responded anonymously. The sample was as resilient as the general population and significantly more resilient than the population of primary care patients. Kidney donors were significantly more resilient than liver donors. Live donors demonstrated scores on the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in the "high" range for agreeableness and conscientiousness and "low" for neuroticism. Kidney donors scored significantly lower on the neuroticism scale than liver donors scored. Purpose in Life scores and Post Donation Growth scores were skewed and were overwhelmingly high in this sample. Additional differences in psychosocial variables are also described. CONCLUSION: Live donors are resilient and show adaptive personality traits. It is difficult to conclude whether these traits were inspired by the act of donation or if they make one more apt to choose donation. Moreover, the study methods introduce the possibility of selection bias: those with certain characteristics may have been more likely to respond. Prospective studies before and after donation are warranted.
Authors: Mary Amanda Dew; Andrea F DiMartini; Daniela P Ladner; Mary Ann Simpson; Elizabeth A Pomfret; Brenda W Gillespie; Robert M Merion; Jarcy Zee; Abigail R Smith; Susan Holtzman; Averell H Sherker; Robert Weinrieb; Robert A Fisher; Jean C Emond; Chris E Freise; James R Burton; Zeeshan Butt Journal: Transplantation Date: 2016-06 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Iris Pollmann; Faikah Gueler; Marie Mikuteit; Mariel Nöhre; Nicolas Richter; Karin Weissenborn; Martina de Zwaan Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2017-10-23 Impact factor: 4.157
Authors: Käthe B Meyer; Ida Torunn Bjørk; Astrid Klopstad Wahl; Annette Lennerling; Marit Helen Andersen Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2017-02-16 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Aleksandra Tomaszek; Aleksandra Wróblewska; Elżbieta Zdankiewicz-Ścigała; Patryk Rzońca; Robert Gałązkowski; Jolanta Gozdowska; Dorota Lewandowska; Dariusz Kosson; Maciej Kosieradzki; Roman Danielewicz Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-02-23 Impact factor: 3.390