Relatives' mental health during the liver transplantation process

Objective: To compare the mental health of relatives of liver transplant patients during the three phases: pretransplantation, waiting list, and posttransplantation.

Materials and methods: This follow-up study used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess the relatives of 35 liver transplant patients (one relative for each patient). The anxiety-depression status was compared across the three liver transplant phases: pretransplant study (G(1)), from the first to the third month after admission to the waiting list (G(2)), and the 3 months after liver transplantation (G(3)). Student t test for paired samples was used for statistical analysis, and Cohen d calculated as an effect size index.

Results: Significant differences were observed (P = .000) among the three phases in anxiety and depression variables. In both, the greatest affective symptomatology corresponded to the phases prior to the liver transplantation (G(1) and G(2)) and the lowest in the post-liver transplant stage (G(3)). Relevant differences (large effect size) were noted between pre- and posttransplant phases in both HADS subscales: anxiety (Cohen d(1-3) = 1.197; Cohen d(2-3) = 0.817) and depression (Cohen d(1-3) = 1.228; Cohen' d(2-3) = 1.239).

Conclusion: Relatives show poorer mental health during the phases prior to liver transplantation compared with the posttransplantation.