Psychosocial risk factors for impaired health-related quality of life in living kidney donors: results from the ELIPSY prospective study

• Main Authors: Ana Menjivar, Xavier Torres, Marti Manyalich, Ingela Fehrman-Ekholm, Christina Papachristou, Erika de Sousa-Amorim, David Paredes, Christian Hiesse, Levent Yucetin, Federico Oppenheimer, Entela Kondi, Josep Maria Peri, Niclas Kvarnström, Chloë Ballesté, Leonidio Dias, Inês C. Frade, Alice Lopes, Fritz Diekmann, Ignacio Revuelta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2020-12-01
• Series: Scientific Reports
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78032-8

Abstract Living kidney donors’ follow-up is usually focused on the assessment of the surgical and medical outcomes. Whilst the psychosocial follow-up is advocated in literature. It is still not entirely clear which exact psychosocial factors are related to a poor psychosocial outcome of donors. The aim of our study is to prospectively assess the donors’ psychosocial risks factors to impaired health-related quality of life at 1-year post-donation and link their psychosocial profile before donation with their respective outcomes. The influence of the recipient’s medical outcomes on their donor’s psychosocial outcome was also examined. Sixty donors completed a battery of standardized psychometric instruments (quality of life, mental health, coping strategies, personality, socio-economic status), and ad hoc items regarding the donation process (e.g., motivations for donation, decision-making, risk assessment, and donor-recipient relationship). Donors’ 1-year psychosocial follow-up was favorable and comparable with the general population. So far, cluster-analysis identified a subgroup of donors (28%) with a post-donation reduction of their health-related quality of life. This subgroup expressed comparatively to the rest, the need for more pre-donation information regarding surgery risks, and elevated fear of losing the recipient and commitment to stop their suffering.