Dyadic Adjustment and Psychological Concordance of Kidney Transplant Recipients and Donors after Spousal Transplantation

The aim of this study was to compare depression and anxiety levels of kidney transplant recipients and of their donor spouses seeking to show whether their dyadic adjustment levels related to their psychological states in the posttransplantation period. We selected 30 donor-recipient pairs who underwent spousal kidney transplantation. The study was performed while participants were in the hospital for routine examinations. Both donors and recipients were administered The Dyadic Adjustment Scale, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and The Beck Depression Inventory. Our results showed correlations between donor and recipient postoperative depression levels (P < .01). For donors, dyadic adjustment and depression levels were correlated, but not for recipients. Pretransplantation psychological assessment of a spousal donor is necessary to provide pretransplantation interventions for possible depressive disorders and marital dysfunction. In this way, recipient depression and anxiety levels may be reduced in the posttransplantation period with better treatment compliance and improved graft survival.