Anxiety and Depression Levels of Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation and Their Need for Training

The purpose of this research was to determine the levels of anxiety and depression and the need for training of patients who had undergone liver transplantation. This descriptive research included patients who had undergone liver transplantation at least 1 month prior and had follow-up between June and November 2006. The sample consisted of 64 patients who completed a questionnaire consisting of 14 semistructured questions to determine levels of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) developed by Zigmond and Snaith (Acta Psychiatr Scan 67:361, 1983). Paired Student t test was used to assess the need for patient training and to compare the mean scores of the scale Chi-square tests were used for data. Eighty-nine point five percent of anxious patients depressed; numerical 44.4% of those who were not anxietic were depressed. To determine the need for patient training, issues that are worrisome/aggrieving for patients were asked, but a priority of issues was not associated with depression and anxiety of patients. The scale was more sensitive to depression than to anxiety. I will be more appropriate to professionally evaluate anxiety and depression and consider the need for patient training.